Uvalde, Texas – Two former school police officers from Uvalde faced indictments on Thursday regarding their response to a tragic shooting incident that occurred in 2022, resulting in the death of 21 individuals. The former Uvalde school police chief, Pete Arredondo, and ex-officer Adrian Gonzales were indicted for felony charges of abandoning and endangering a child. District Attorney Christina Mitchell confirmed the indictments.
Arredondo surrendered himself and was booked into the Uvalde County jail on Thursday, while Gonzales was expected to be taken into custody the following morning. The grand jury, convened by Mitchell, examined law enforcement’s actions during the shooting incident, which took place at Robb Elementary School, where 19 fourth graders and two teachers lost their lives at the hands of Salvatore Ramos, who entered the school armed with an AR-15-style rifle.
The police response to the shooting, as highlighted by a Department of Justice report, was deemed inadequate, citing “cascading failures” in their handling of the situation. Security footage revealed that Arredondo and his team hesitated to enter the classrooms until a tactical team arrived approximately 77 minutes after the violence began.
Arredondo, who was in charge at the scene, along with Gonzales, were informed of a teacher’s injury before taking action. The delayed response resulted in their suspension from duty shortly after the incident. These indictments are the first criminal charges filed in connection to the school massacre, marking a significant development in the case. Despite these events, there was no immediate response from Mitchell’s office regarding any inquiries or comments on the matter.