Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.
In a surprise move, Hal Harrell, the superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, officially retired Wednesday night during a school board meeting. An interim replacement was named as a search for a new district chief continues.
Harrell stunned the small grieving community two weeks ago when he announced he would retire but said "no defined timelines" had been set.
Harrell -- along with other school officials and local law enforcement -- has faced intense scrutiny over the handling of the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nearly 400 law enforcement officers rushed to the scene, but "egregiously poor decision-making" resulted in allowing the 18-year-old shooter to remain active inside a classroom for more than 70 minutes before he was finally confronted and killed, according to a damning investigative report released by Texas lawmakers in July.
Harrell's impending retirement was announced earlier this month. In a statement posted on his wife's Facebook account, Harrell said the decision was "not made lightly and was made after much prayer and discernment."
"My heart was broken on May 24th," he added.
Harrell has worked for the school district since he started as a special education teacher in 1992, eventually working his way up to Uvalde High School principal and then following in his father's footsteps in 2018 when he became superintendent.
ABC News' Olivia Osteen and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
