Embattled Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo resigns from city council, newspaper reports

Tony Plohetski, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read
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Pete Arredondo, the embattled chief of the Uvalde school district police force, is resigning from his position as a Uvalde City Council member, the Uvalde Leader-News reported Saturday.

The revelation came from a statement from Arredondo in a city press release in which he said "the mayor, the city council, and the city staff must continue to move forward without distractions. I feel this is the best decision for Uvalde."

Arredondo has faced growing questions about the law enforcement response to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers died. Texas Department of Public Safety officials have said that Arredondo assumed the role of incident commander, and that police waited an hour before finally storming a classroom where the 18-year-old gunman had barricaded himself.

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Authorities have said that Arredondo erred in treating the situation as a "barricaded subject" rather than an active shooter, potentially costing life-saving minutes. Standard law enforcement training calls for police to immediately take action to stop a shooter.

Arredondo has made few public comments, but recently testified for five hours in private in front of a Texas House committee investigating the shooting.

He remains in his school district position, but has been placed on administrative leave.

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Pete Arredondo had been serving as police chief of the Uvalde school district as well as on the Uvalde city council. He resigned his city council spot on Saturday.
Pete Arredondo had been serving as police chief of the Uvalde school district as well as on the Uvalde city council. He resigned his city council spot on Saturday.

Arredondo was elected to the Uvalde city council soon before the shooting and was sworn into office days later in a private ceremony. In the weeks since, he has faced growing calls to step down.

"As we continue to grieve over the tragedy that occurred on May 24th, we pray for the families involved and our community," his statement said. "Uvalde has a rich history of loving and supporting thy neighbor and we must continue to do so. In speaking with other communities that have had similar tragedies, the guidance has been the same...continue to support the families, continue to support our community, and definitely, to keep our faith."

In a statement, Uvalde city officials said they had not received notification of Arredondo's plans to step down but added that "it is the right thing to do."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo resigns from city council