Uvalde school shooting: Victim's father arrested at county commissioner meeting

UVALDE, Texas - The father of one of the Uvalde school shooting victims was arrested Monday during an Uvalde County Commissioner's Court meeting.

Brett Cross spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting and directly addressed Commissioner Mariano Pargas Jr, who had been acting Uvalde police chief during the May 2022 mass shooting.

Cross addressed Pargas's lack of attendance at past meetings, claiming that Monday's meeting was the first time Pargas had shown up this year, says FOX 7 Austin reporting partner KSAT.

Cross attended the meeting with other family members of victims and survivors and continually gestured to them while speaking to Pargas.

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According to KSAT, Cross used an expletive which prompted the county judge to warn him to watch his language. Cross then shouted "Language, language, language…my child is f------ dead!"

The county judge then moved to have Cross removed from the meeting.

In a post on X, Cross confirmed he was arrested on Monday and claims it took police "about 3 hours before they could actually find something to charge me with." Cross says he was ultimately charged with disrupting a meeting or procession.

Under Texas law, that is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000 or both.

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The Uvalde Police Department posted a statement on Facebook about the incident, saying they were dispatched to assist in transporting Cross to the Uvalde County Justice Center and that the department is not the primary agency investigating and filing charges.

"The Uvalde Police Department is committed to upholding the law and ensuring public safety in our community," the statement reads. "As an assisting agency, our role in this incident was limited to providing support in the transport process. We are cooperating fully with relevant authorities to gather all pertinent information related to this case."

UPD says the investigation into the incident is being led by the Uvalde County Sheriff's Office.

Who is Mariano Pargas?

Lt. Mariano Pargas Jr had been acting Chief of Police for the City of Uvalde on May 24, 2022, when a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.

Pargas was placed on administrative leave in July 2022 following the release of the Texas House investigative report into the shooting.

Pargas later voluntarily left the department in November 2022, according to an Uvalde city spokesperson. He was only the second police leader to leave law enforcement in the fallout of the massacre; Uvalde CISD police chief Pete Arredondo had been fired just two months before.

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His departure came only days after new audio highlighted that Pargas was told by a dispatcher that "eight to nine" kids were alive in a classroom with the gunman. Pargas can be heard acknowledging the information, but it would be more than 30 minutes before a tactical team would enter and kill the gunman.

Pargas has served as county commissioner for Precinct 2 for over a decade and a half and was re-elected to the position in Nov. 2022, just a week before his departure from Uvalde PD was announced, says KSAT.

FOX 7 Austin reported this from Austin. KSAT and the Associated Press contributed to this report.