Uvalde suspends elementary school principal after report shows lax security enabled shooter

The superintendent of the Uvalde school district has suspended Robb Elementary School principal Mandy Gutierrez with pay following a report that indicated the school's weak security enabled a mass shooting that saw many young students killed.

Lawyers for Gutierrez declined to comment on the suspension, Reuters reported.

Alleged gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, entered the school in May and opened fire, killing 19 children and two others. He remained active for roughly 77 minutes before a Border Patrol agent fatally shot him.

A Texas Legislature investigative committee report attributed the lethality of the incident in part to school administrative policies and the disorganized response from law enforcement. While 376 law enforcement officers responded to the shooting, poor coordination and weak leadership prevented any of them from making a timely effort to enter the building and confront Ramos, the report found.

"Robb Elementary had a culture of noncompliance with safety policies requiring doors to be kept locked, which turned out to be fatal," the report said. It further highlighted an ongoing problem with the lock on the door to Room 111, which the shooter used. Gutierrez, it asserts, was aware of the issue but failed to comply with guidelines to repair it and place a work order.

"There is no one to whom we can attribute malice or ill motives," the committee concluded. "Instead, we found systemic failures and egregious poor decision-making."