Uvalde school board fires school police chief Pete Arredondo
UVALDE, Texas – Pete Arredondo, the embattled school police chief in Uvalde, Texas, became the first officer to lose his job over the slow response by hundreds of heavily armed law enforcement personnel during the May mass shooting that left 21 people dead.
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District unanimously decided to fire Arredondo three months to the day after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the Texas Tribune reported. It also comes less than two weeks before the new school year begins in the southern Texas city.
Arredondo did not attend Wednesday’s meeting. His attorney, George Hyde, defended the chief’s response in a critical and defiant letter moments before the school board met, according to The Associated Press.
Hyde said Arredondo was a “courageous officer” who should be “celebrated for the lives saved, instead of vilified for those they couldn’t reach in time.”
In the 17-page letter, Hyde cited security concerns and accused the district of denying Arredondo the right to carry a weapon, according to the AP.
Arredondo has been on unpaid administrative leave since June 22, KENS-TV reported. Earlier in July, Arredondo resigned from his position on the Uvalde City Council.
Officials have twice before scheduled meetings to discuss terminating Arredondo. In late July, the school board announced a special meeting to debate the potential firing, though it was delayed at the request of the police chief’s attorney. A subsequent meeting scheduled for Aug. 4 was later delayed due to “a scheduling conflict,” CNN reported.
Last month, school district Superintendent Hal Harrell recommended the firing of Arredondo amid criticism of his response to the deadly May 24 shooting.
Uvalde Police Department Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was the city’s acting police chief on the day of the shooting, is believed to be the only other officer placed on leave for his actions during the shooting, according to the AP.
Uvalde school board to consider firing Police Chief Pete Arredondo
Arredondo was one of the first officers to respond to reports of the shooting, although he failed to take the lead during the law enforcement response, according to a report issued last month by a Texas House committee. The panel was tasked with investigating the deadliest school shooting in the state’s history. The committee noted in its report that there were no “villains” found during its investigation, attributing issues with the response instead to “systemic failures and egregiously poor decision making.”
Surveillance footage from the scene showed officers in a hallway of the school minutes after the gunman arrived, although they did not confront the shooter for more than an hour. Several investigations into the law enforcement response remain ongoing.
The report by the Texas House committee stated that Arredondo did not consider himself to be the on-scene commander in charge and that his priority was to protect the children in other classrooms. The report said his decision was a “terrible, tragic mistake.”
Texas school shooting: Chief Pete Arredondo officially resigns from Uvalde City Council
“Our thought was, ‘If he comes out, you know, you eliminate the threat,’ correct?” Arredondo told the committee, according to the report, the AP reported. “And just the thought of other children being in other classrooms, my thought was, ‘We can’t let him come back out. If he comes back out, we take him out, or we eliminate the threat.’”
The report has also found that officers failed to follow their active shooter training and did not prioritize the safety of the students and teachers over their own.
Arredondo, who had won a seat on the Uvalde City Council, was sworn in during a private ceremony the week after the deadly shooting, KSAT-TV reported. He skipped the first two city council meetings.
Arredondo resigned his post in early July.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, Jr. speaks to the media following a news conference where the Texas House investigative committee released its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Leticia Cobarrubia, aunt of shooting victims Jackie Cazares and Annabell Roidriguez, wipes away tears as she listens to the Texas House investigative committee release its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Residents and family of shooting victims listen to the Texas House investigative committee release its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Texas state Rep. Joe Moody answers questions during a news conference after the Texas House investigative committee released its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Tina Quintanilla-Taylor raises her and and voice as she tries to ask a question of the Texas House investigative committee at a news conference after they released its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Family of shooting victims listen to the Texas House investigative committee release its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A Texas State Trooper and other members of law enforcement listen to the Texas House investigative committee during a news conference after they released a full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Michael Brown holds protest signs as the Texas House investigative committee prepares to present it’s full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Grace Valencia, great aunt of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia, left, arrives for a presentation of the Texas House investigative committee report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
FILE – Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School on June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Nearly 400 law enforcement officials rushed to the mass shooting that left 21 people dead at the elementary school but “systemic failures” created a chaotic scene that lasted more than an hour before the gunman was finally confronted and killed, according to a report from investigators released Sunday, July 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Vincent Salazar, grandfather of Layla Salazar who was killed in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, holds a report released by the Texas House investigative committee on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Two teachers and 19 students were killed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Crystal Garcia, stepmother of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia, talks to the media from the back of a vehicle after picking up a copy of the Texas House investigative committee report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Crystal Garcia, left, and Sergio Garcia, center, stepmother and father of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia, talk to the media from the back of a vehicle after picking up a copy of the Texas House investigative committee report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Texas House investigative committee chairman Rep. Dustin Burrows holds a copy of its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School as the committee meets, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Grace Valencia, great aunt of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia, tries to hold back tears as she talks to the media from a vehicle after picking up a copy of the Texas House investigative committee report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Media talks to the parents and other family members of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia after they picked up a copy of the Texas House investigative committee report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Vincent Salazar, grandfather of Layla Salazar who was killed in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, center, holds a report released by the Texas House investigative committee on the shootings at Robb Elementary School as he talks with the media, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Two teachers and 19 students were killed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Media approach the parents and other family members of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia after they picked up a copy of the Texas House investigative committee report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Artists work on a mural to honor Amerie Jo Garza, a student who was killed in the shootings at Robb Elementary school last month, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. The Texas House investigative committee released its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School Sunday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Artists work on a mural to honor Eva Mireles, a teacher who was killed in the shootings at Robb Elementary school last month, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. The Texas House investigative committee released its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School Sunday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Esmeralda Bravo, 63, sheds tears while holding a photo of her granddaughter, Nevaeh, one of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims, during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Two family members of one of the victims killed in Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School comfort each other during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Family members of one of the victims killed in Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School embrace each other after a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Stormy Flores, 11, sits with a sign bearing the names of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, far right, prays with a man during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The vigil was held to honor the victims killed in Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School.
A young girl listen to a message during a prayer vigil for the Robb Elementary School shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, and Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco pray during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The vigil was held to honor the victims killed in Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Esmeralda Bravo, center, holds a photo of her granddaughter, Nevaeh, one of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims, as she is comforted by Nevaeh’s cousin, Anayeli, during a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Family members and relatives of Nevaeh Bravo, one of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims, attend a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
People listen to a message during a prayer vigil for the Robb Elementary School shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Jailah Nicole Seguero was 11-years-old. She was in the same classroom as her cousin who was also killed. Her mother wrote on Facebook, "I’m so heartbroken my baby I love you so much mamas don’t ever forget that watch over me daddy and your sisters and big bro. Fly high baby girl.”
Ellie Garcia was 10-years-old. Her parents remembered her on Facebook. Her father said he had planned to DJ her birthday party. He said she was the happiest girl ever. Her mother wrote on Facebook, "My heart is shattered to pieces I love you baby girl. I will never stop thinking of you." A video shared on Twitter includes a video of Ellie on her birthday, sending her love to her dad. In the video, Ellie says, "When you get off work, I’ll be here for you. I love you, dad."
Irma Garcia was a teacher at Robb Elementary. It was confirmed through a GoFundMe site set up to raise funds for funeral expenses and family needs. Garcia was a wife and mother to four children. She died shielding students from gunfire.
Uziyah Garcia was 10-years-old. Uziyah was "full of life," according to an uncle, Mitch Renfro. He loved video games and anything with wheels. He leaves behind two sisters. "The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known," his grandmother told KSAT. "I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid."
Jose Flores Jr. was 10-years-old. He was among those killed at Robb Elementary, according to his father, Jose Flores Sr. His father described the fourth grade boy as an amazing kid and big brother to his two siblings. He loved baseball and video games.
The father of one of the children killed in Tuesday’s school shooting has identified his daughter as 10 year-old Amerie Jo Garza.
At least 19 students and 2 adults were killed Tuesday in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, roughly 80 miles west of San Antonio, CNN has reported.
Angel Garza took to Facebook early Wednesday morning to share that his daughter had been killed in the shooting at her elementary school.
A fourth-grade teacher, Eva Mireles, was also killed at the school. Mireles had been an educator for 17 years. In her spare time, she enjoyed running, hiking, biking and being with her family, according to her profile on the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s website.
Xavier Lopez was 10-years-old. Just hours before he was killed, Lopez was lauded at Robb Elementary’s honor roll ceremony according to his mother, Felicha Martinez.
Irma Garcia was a teacher at Robb Elementary. It was confirmed through a GoFundMe site set up to raise funds for funeral expenses and family needs. Garcia was a wife and mother to four children. She died shielding students from gunfire.
Courtesy: Felix and Kimberly Rubio
Undated family photos of Lexi Rubio, who was killed in Tuesday’s shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Jose Flores Jr. was 10-years-old. He was among those killed at Robb Elementary, according to his father, Jose Flores Sr. His father described the fourth grade boy as an amazing kid and big brother to his two siblings. He loved baseball and video games.
Xavier Lopez, a victim in the school shooting on May 24, 2022, is pictured in an undated family photo.
Courtesy Cecily Saenz and Laura Mejia
Fourth-grader Xavier Lopez died in the school shooting, his family confirmed to ABC News.
According to his cousin, Xavier’s mom was at his awards ceremony one to two hours prior to the shooting, not knowing it would be the last time she would see him.
Eva Mireles, 4th Grade Teacher at Robb Elementary and victim in the school shooting on May 24, 2022, is pictured in an undated family photo.
Courtesy Lydia Martinez Delgado
Eva Mireles, a fourth-grade teacher at the elementary school, was killed in the shooting, her aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, confirmed to ABC News. She had been a teacher in the school district for approximately 17 years, Delgado said.
Aunt Polly Flores identified her two nieces Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 and Jackie Cazares, 10 as among the students killed in the Uvalde shooting. They were both in the fourth grade, in the same class at Robb Elementary. (Courtesy Polly Flores via ABC News)
Eliahana Cruz Torres, in an undated family photo. Torres died in the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (The Cruz family via ABC)
Amerie jo Garza, a victim in the school shooting on May 24, 2022, is pictured in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Angel Garza via ABC News)
Aunt Polly Flores identified her two nieces Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 and Jackie Cazares, 10 as among the students killed in the Uvalde shooting. They were both in the fourth grade, in the same class at Robb Elementary, she told me.
Annabelle is holding an honor roll certificate. (Courtesy Polly Flores via ABC News)
