Uvalde, Texas – The former police chief of the Uvalde school district and another officer have been indicted by a grand jury over two years after a tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers.
Pete Arredondo, the Chief of Police at the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department, faces 10 charges of child endangerment in connection to the 2022 shooting. Arredondo was placed on administrative leave and later fired before turning himself in and being released on bond.
Former district police officer Adrian Gonzales was also indicted on 29 counts of child endangerment, one for each child in the classroom during the incident. Gonzales, who provided active shooter training, had SWAT training according to reports.
The response to the tragic event was heavily criticized by the U.S. Justice Department. The review found leadership failures and delayed responses that hindered efforts to neutralize the shooter, resulting in a delay of 77 minutes before the gunman was shot by Border Patrol officers.
Arredondo and Gonzales were among the first responders to the scene on the day of the shooting. Arredondo, listed as the incident commander, claimed he was not the commanding officer on-site, leading to disagreements among officers on the necessary actions to take.
Family members of the victims expressed hopes for more indictments against other responding officers, emphasizing the need for accountability in the aftermath of the tragic event. Jesse Rizo, who lost his niece in the shooting, emphasized the importance of holding all involved parties responsible for their actions.
The indictment sheds light on the complexities and challenges faced in responding to such incidents, highlighting the crucial need for coordinated training and swift response to prevent further loss of lives in future tragedies.