Pete Arredondo, the former police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, has been taken into custody more than two years after the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting. Arredondo, along with another officer who responded to the incident, faces felony charges of child endangerment, according to a grand jury indictment.
Arredondo is currently held at the Uvalde County Jail, CBS News reported. The San Antonio Express-News detailed that Arredondo and former officer Adrian Gonzales were both indicted by a grand jury for their actions during the 2022 shooting, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
In a statement to CBS News, the school district expressed that it had "only just learned about the grand jury decision regarding two indictments being issued," and had no additional information beyond what was being reported in the media. "As we have done and continue to do, we extend our sincerest sympathies to all who lost loved ones," Uvalde CISD stated. "Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this challenging situation."
The indictments come after the 2022 shooting incident at Robb Elementary School, where a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers. The gunman was eventually killed by law enforcement after a delay of more than an hour, a delay that sparked heavy criticism and scrutiny of the law enforcement response. Arredondo was fired from his position three months to the day of the shooting.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department released a comprehensive report highlighting the "cascading failures" in the law enforcement response to the massacre. The report criticized the actions of the police chief and other officers involved.
In a separate development in May, family members of the Uvalde school shooting victims reached a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde. This settlement will compensate the families of 17 children who were killed and two children who survived the horrific event, according to statements from the families' attorneys.
Adrian Gonzales, a former officer, was described in a Texas lawmakers' report as one of the first officers to enter the building after the shooting began. The grand jury's decision to indict both Arredondo and Gonzales marks the first time any officers have faced criminal charges for their actions during one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
The 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School involved nearly 400 law enforcement officers, many of whom were criticized for waiting in the hallway outside the classroom where the gunman had barricaded himself. Despite hearing gunfire from inside the classroom, officers delayed their response for over an hour before confronting and neutralizing the gunman.
Arredondo's termination came three months after the shooting. Numerous officers involved were subsequently fired as well. Investigations by both the Department of Justice and state lawmakers pointed to significant lapses in training, communication, leadership, and technology, culminating in a 600-page DOJ report that cataloged these "cascading failures."
