The Uvalde school shooting thrust them into the national spotlight. Where are they now?

Two years ago Friday, a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in one of the deadliest school shootings in history.

The details wracked the community, the state and the nation. Authorities waited 77 minutes before entering the classroom and taking out the shooter. He kept killing children in the meantime.

In the moments, days, and years since, investigations, hearings, news reports and lawsuits introduced a stunned nation to a cast of Texans, from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Uvalde County District Attorney’s Office to local police, politicians and parents.

These are the stories of some of those involved in the shooting’s aftermath, where they have been, and where they are now.

Pete Arredondo

Pete Arredondo, former police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, was fired by the school board three months after the shooting. Arredondo oversaw a police response that was widely scrutinized by both parents and officials, including the U.S. Department of Justice.

More than an hour passed from the time law enforcement entered the school and the time the gunman was killed, as Arredondo instructed his officers to evacuate after entering so he could negotiate with the gunman, according to the Justice Department report.

Arredondo was fired with a general discharge, or a discharge that is due to a disciplinary investigation or performance problem, according to Texas 2036, a nonpartisan policy organization. Arredondo appealed the decision and had his honorable discharge restored — only for a judge to rule his general discharge reinstated and close the case.

Since his firing, Arredondo has remained absent from the public eye and has not publicly announced another job, though records indicate he still owns a residence in Uvalde County. His name entered into headlines at the beginning of this year after the Justice Department report alleged Arredondo failed to take control of the scene.

Col. Steve McCraw

More than 90 DPS officers responded to Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting, but a Justice Department report said law enforcement did not follow training by immediately taking down the shooter. DPS Director Col. Steve McCraw told CNN in September 2022 that if the department was found to be culpable for a lack of response, he would “be the first to resign” and would release all records related to the shooting.

He has done neither since the Justice Department’s report was released. This is despite a ruling in March in favor of releasing the records to news outlets, including the Austin American Statesman and the rest of the USA TODAY Network.

Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell has said she requested the records be withheld to protect grand jury proceedings, a reason McCraw cited when defending his refusal. The grand jury investigation is still underway, and McCraw testified before the jury in late February. Litigation for the records is ongoing, and an additional hearing will be held in September.

Christina Mitchell

Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell convened a grand jury at the beginning of this year to investigate the police response to the shooting and to recommend possible criminal charges against law enforcement officers.

Mitchell has drawn criticism from former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, who called for her resignation and accused her of covering up records related to the shooting requested by the city. McLaughlin’s made the remarks before news outlets filed suit.

Mitchell remains district attorney and is running for reelection unopposed this November.

Don McLaughlin

Don McLaughlin served as mayor from 2014 to 2023 before resigning to run in the ongoing race for the Texas House of Representatives. House District 80, which includes Uvalde, has been represented by State Rep. Tracy King (D-Uvalde) since 1994. King has not faced a general election opponent in several years, but his retirement has created a competitive race for the seat.

McLaughlin received national attention in the wake of the Uvalde shooting. During an appearance on "Good Morning America," he said gun violence is caused by mental health issues not guns. He also criticized nominees for governor, including former-US Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, at a press conference after the shooting.

But McLaughlin’s campaign for Texas House is not centered around the issue of guns. Instead, he has cited concerns that Uvalde and South Texas are “overlooked by politicians in Austin,” according to the campaign website. McLaughlin secured the GOP nomination for HD80 with 58% of the vote, and will face one of two Democrats who are in a primary runoff.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio

Kimberly Mata-Rubio was motivated to enter local politics in Uvalde following the loss of her 10-year-old daughter Lexi in the shooting. Mata-Rubio ran for mayor to succeed the retiring McLaughlin, but was defeated by former Mayor Cody Smith, 65 percent to 32 percent. She ran as an advocate for stricter gun laws, criticizing state and national leadership for failing to address the issue and pass meaningful legislation. Mata-Rubio had support from national Democrats, and fundraised through ActBlue, the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising platform.

After her loss in the mayoral race, Mata-Rubio congratulated Smith but said she will “never stop fighting” for Lexi, and that this race was only the beginning.

Just a few months into Smith’s term however, he abruptly resigned from his seat April 1 for undisclosed health reasons. Mayor Pro-Tem Everardo Zamora will serve as interim mayor until the November election — Uvalde’s third mayoral election in five years. The position of mayor has a four-year term. Mata-Rubio has not announced plans to run again.

Brett Cross

Brett Cross also took up advocacy following the death of his son Uziyah “Uzi” Garcia in the shooting. He has organized sit-ins in front of the Uvalde Police Department and previously at the Uvalde CISD Police Department before it was shut down.

In February, he posted a video to X of an automated call that lawmakers in Congress have received. The call uses artificial intelligence to recreate Uzi’s voice and asks, “what is it going to take for you to make sure violence like this stops happening?”

In February, Cross was arrested at a county commissioner meeting and charged with “disrupting a meeting” when he swore at the county judge.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, made the Uvalde shooting central to a campaign to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sometimes surrounded at his rallies by Uvalde parents who lost their children in the shooting.

Gutierrez lost the Democratic primary to Rep. Colin Allred by 42 points but carried Uvalde County by 54 points. He has remained steadfast in his support for the Uvalde families and the fight for stricter gun laws. Gutierrez has shared posts to X recently telling the stories of each Uvalde victim in the days leading up to the anniversary of the shooting.

He has not announced any additional plans to run for public office but remains in the Texas Senate, where he spoke out last session against legislation that he said did not do enough to ensure the safety of students. The measures, House Bills 3 and 13, required every school campus to have an armed security officer and for every school to create active shooter safety plans.

Gutierrez still believes Texas should pass a ban on assault weapons, but previous attempts have failed in the state's GOP-controlled legislature.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Two years after the Uvalde shooting, where are the key figures now?