Cody Smith, mayor of Uvalde, Texas, has abruptly resigned, citing undisclosed health issues as the reason.
Smith was elected in November in the first mayoral election since the 2022 massacre when a teenage gunman killed 19 young students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Smith ran on a promise to help the city recover.
He announced his exit on Monday, effective immediately.
"I want to thank members of the Uvalde community for their thoughts and prayers during my ongoing recovery from unexpected medical issues I have experienced in recent weeks. After much consultation and prayer, I have decided to resign as Mayor of the City of Uvalde to focus on my health. It has been a great honor to serve the city and community I love," Smith said in a statement obtained by Scripps News.
Until a new mayor is elected later this year on Nov. 5, Mayor Pro-Tem Everardo Zamora will take over his post.
Smith's exit came ahead of a City Council meeting Tuesday that reports say may be linked to a report on the Robb Elementary shooting. This comes a couple weeks after Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez also announced his resignation, which is effective April 6.
Officials in Uvalde have been under scrutiny to adequately address the school massacre, including holding law enforcement and leaders accountable. A report released by the Department of Justice in January cited numerous failures in the shooting response, including that it took officers over an hour to address the gunman. But a separate report came out last month that cleared police of missteps, angering parents and members of the community.
Brett Cross, a father who lost his fourth-grade son Uziyah "Uzi" Garcia in the shooting, called the mayor's resignation "disheartening."
"This is a bit disheartening. I thought Cody was on the right path of starting to communicate with us, and I felt he was actually going to work with us to better Uvalde and to get justice and accountability," Cross wrote on X.
Next month marks two years since the shooting at Robb Elementary.
Uvalde police chief announces he will resign in April
Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez was on vacation in Arizona the day a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.
