The police chief for schools in Uvalde, Texas, Pete Arredondo, has been accused of failing to identify an active shooting, not following his training, and making critical decisions that delayed the law enforcement response during the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting. This incident, which occurred on May 24, 2022, resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers. According to an indictment unsealed on Friday, Arredondo’s actions, or lack thereof, contributed to the severity of the attack.
Arredondo was arrested and briefly booked into the Uvalde County jail before being released on Thursday night. He faces 10 state jail felony counts of abandoning or endangering a child. Former school officer Adrian Gonzales was also indicted on similar charges, although his indictment has not yet been made public. These indictments mark the first time officers have been criminally charged for their response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
The indictment against Arredondo, who was the on-site commander during the shooting, accuses him of delaying the police response despite hearing gunshots and being informed that injured children and a teacher were in the classrooms. Instead of taking immediate action, Arredondo called for a SWAT team, ordered the initial responding officers to leave the building, and attempted to negotiate with the 18-year-old gunman. This delay allowed the shooter to continue his rampage, ultimately leading to more casualties.
More than 370 federal, state, and local officers converged on Robb Elementary, but they waited over 70 minutes before confronting the shooter. During this time, terrified students inside the classroom called 911, and agonized parents outside the school begged officers to intervene. A tactical team eventually entered the classroom and killed the shooter.
The indictment charges Arredondo with failing to protect survivors of the attack, including Khloie Torres, who called 911 and pleaded for help, saying, “Please hurry. There’s a lot of dead bodies. Some of my teachers are still alive but they’re shot.” If convicted, Arredondo could face up to two years in jail. He does not have a listed phone number, and the court clerk had no record of an attorney for him.
In an interview with the Texas Tribune two weeks after the shooting, Arredondo insisted that he took the steps he believed would best protect the lives of students and teachers. “My mind was to get there as fast as possible, eliminate any threats, and protect the students and staff,” he told the newspaper.
Since the shooting, state and federal investigative reports have highlighted numerous failures in training, communication, leadership, and technology. Arredondo lost his job three months after the shooting, and several other officers involved were eventually fired. Separate investigations by the Department of Justice and state lawmakers have also criticized law enforcement’s response to the massacre.
Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, has been vocal about the need for accountability beyond the indictments of Arredondo and Gonzales. Gutierrez has criticized the Texas Department of Public Safety and its head, Steve McCraw, who testified before the grand jury in February. The department had more than 90 officers at the school, more than any other agency.
“Every single officer that stood down that day must be held accountable,” Gutierrez said. “We can’t rest until we have justice.”
The first U.S. law enforcement officer ever tried for allegedly failing to act during an on-campus shooting was a campus sheriff’s deputy in Florida who did not enter the classroom building during the 2018 Parkland massacre. The deputy was acquitted of felony neglect last year, and a lawsuit by the victims’ families and survivors is still pending.
The actions and inactions by both Arredondo and Gonzales have been described as “criminal negligence” in the indictments. Gonzales, one of the first officers to enter the building after the shooting began, faces 29 similar charges. He is accused of abandoning his training and not confronting the shooter, even after hearing gunshots while standing in a hallway. Gonzales was briefly booked into jail on Friday and released on bond.
Some victims’ relatives expressed mixed feelings about the indictments. While they are relieved that Arredondo and Gonzales have been charged, they believe more officers should be held accountable. “They decided to indict only two. That’s hard for me to accept,” said Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jacklyn Cazares was among the students killed.
In a statement, an attorney for Gonzales called the charges against law enforcement “unprecedented in the state of Texas.” “Mr. Gonzales’ position is he did not violate school district policy or state law,” said Nico LaHood, the former district attorney for Bexar County, which includes San Antonio.
The indictment against Arredondo accuses him of failing to protect survivors of the attack, including Khloie Torres, who called 911 and begged for help. Gonzales’ indictment charges him with failing to protect children who were killed as well as survivors. The investigative report by Texas lawmakers identified Gonzales as one of the first officers to enter the building, but it also identified two other officers who allegedly heard gunfire. It is unclear whether those officers were part of the grand jury’s investigation.
The charges against Arredondo and Gonzales carry up to two years in jail if convicted. In his interview with the Texas Tribune, Arredondo maintained that he took the steps he believed would best protect the lives of students and teachers. “My mind was to get there as fast as possible, eliminate any threats, and protect the students and staff,” he said.
Since the shooting, scathing state and federal investigative reports have catalogued “cascading failures” in training, communication, leadership, and technology. Arredondo lost his job, and several other officers were eventually fired. Separate investigations by the Department of Justice and state lawmakers have alleged that law enforcement botched their response to the massacre.
Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez has been critical of the Texas Department of Public Safety and its head, Steve McCraw. The department had more than 90 officers at the school, more than any other agency, and McCraw testified before the grand jury in February. “Every single officer that stood down that day must be held accountable,” Gutierrez said. “We can’t rest until we have justice.”
Source: Associated Press, Uvalde Leader-News, San Antonio Express-News
