Uvalde school superintendent announces his retirement as shooting investigation continues

Superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Hal Harrell announced his retirement via a Facebook post from his wife on Monday, CNN reports. Harrell is one of several officials facing scrutiny after the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School killed 19 students and two teachers.

Harrell was at a school board meeting on Monday, where the community seemed divided over supporting him. Some greeted him with a standing ovation, while family members of the victims demanded accountability. CNN reports one resident requested that the board accept his resignation without further investigation.

"Nineteen children, two teachers, someone has to take responsibility for those deaths. We can't just all sit back and wait for an investigation to be completed. We're not asking for criminal charges. We're asking for accountability," the resident said. "You appointed Dr. Harrell, accept his retirement and let's move on and do what we need to do as a community."

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Board members held a closed session to discuss replacing Harrell, and they unanimously agreed to search for a new superintendent, CNN reports.

Last week Harrell emailed his staff about his intention to retire, hours after the school district announced that it was suspending its entire police force and placing two officials on leave as they continue to investigate the department's response to the shooting. His email also followed the firing of the recently appointed Crimson Elizondo, a former officer under investigation for her response to the massacre, per CNN.