Uvalde school district police chief resigns days before 2-year mark of school shooting

Nearly two years after one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, the chief of the school district police department submitted his resignation, USA TODAY reported.

In November 2022, Joshua Gutierrez was appointed interim police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District after his predecessor was ousted due to intense scrutiny of the department's delayed response to the school shooting on May 24, 2022, in which a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers over the course of 77 minutes.

It's unclear why Gutierrez resigned; he did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Latest update: 19 Uvalde families sue Texas DPS and 92 officer defendants over police response to shooting

The district school board will decide in June whether to approve Gutierrez's resignation. If they do, his last day will be June 26, district spokesperson Anne Marie Espinoza said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"We thank Chief Gutierrez for his dedicated leadership and guidance in reestablishing the Uvalde CISD Police Department," the statement said. "His contributions have been instrumental in enhancing the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and school community. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

UCISD Police Chief's resignation follows a series of resignations from Uvalde officials

Gutierrez is the latest leader in Uvalde to resign from his role since the shooting.

Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez stepped down in March and Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith abruptly resigned from office in April, citing undisclosed health concerns.

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice released a report on the tragedy and largely pinned the blame on "cascading failures" by law enforcement.

More: Uvalde Police Department's Facebook page says it 'does not allow comments.' Is it legal?

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Uvalde CISD police chief resigns after less than 2 years on the job