Topline
Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo has resigned from the city council of Uvalde, Texas, weeks after he was sworn in amid harsh criticism for his response to the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo, second from left, stands during a news conference outside … [+]
Key Facts
Arredondo told the Uvalde Leader-News Friday he decided to step down to allow the mayor, the city council and the city staff to “move forward without distractions,” adding he felt it was the “best decision for Uvalde.”
The move comes after the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District placed Arredondo on administrative leave in June after the police chief was heavily criticized for his handling of the shooting at Robb Elementary School—where Arredondo was the on-site commander—which left 19 students and two teachers dead, after law enforcement waited more than an hour to approach the shooter.
Arredondo was elected to serve as a member of the council on May 7, before the massacre, and was sworn in a week after the attack. The city council did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
Arredondo has disputed his role in handling the school massacre, telling the Texas Tribune he did not consider himself to be in charge of the response, though state officials have said he was the incident commander. Many law enforcement officials have lambasted Arredondo’s handling of the attack, including Texas Department of Safety Director Steven McCraw, who testified during a Texas state Senate hearing that the response was an “abject failure,” adding the school police chief made “terrible decisions.” Students and teachers waited one hour and 14 minutes in a classroom with the 18-year-old shooter, Salvador Ramos, before law enforcement breached the classroom door, even though a tool firefighters use to force open doors was available eight minutes after law enforcement arrived, according to McCraw. McCraw said Arredondo was the “only thing stopping” law enforcement from entering the building, adding he “decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children.” Law enforcement officials have argued his response violated active-shooter protocols, while McCraw said Ramos could have been stopped three minutes after law enforcement officials arrived.
Further Reading
Uvalde schools police chief placed on leave amid fierce criticism of school shooting response (Texas Tribune)
Arredondo calls it quits on city (Uvalde Leader-News)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/07/02/uvalde-school-police-chief-steps-down-from-city-council-amid-criticism-for-mass-shooting-response/