Uvalde School District Could Fire Police Chief In Wake Of Shooting

UVALDE, TX — Amid public backlash, Uvalde's top school official has recommended the firing of Pete Arredondo, the school district police chief who has been heavily scrutinized for his role in the botched law enforcement response to the school shooting in May that killed 19 students and two teachers, according to a public agenda posted by the school district.

The Uvalde school board will hold a special meeting Saturday morning and enter closed session to discuss the Arredondo's employment among themselves and with the district's attorney. Hal Harrell, superintendent of Uvalde schools, has recommended Arredondo's termination, according to the agenda.

Arredondo has been the primary target of public criticism regarding the response of law enforcement officers to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary. Officers entered the school minutes after the gunman but delayed over an hour before confronting and killing him.

See also

• Uvalde Struggles With Well-Liked Chief's Role In Shooting Response
• Texas Girl Smeared Blood On Self, Played Dead To Survive School Shooting
• Police Response Questioned As Gunman Was Inside Texas School For Hour
• Slain Uvalde, Texas, Teacher's Husband 'Died Of A Broken Heart'

School officials have previously resisted calls to fire Arredondo. The posting of the special meeting agenda comes two days after Uvalde residents criticized the school board for several hours, accusing the school district of lacking in security measures at the school, transparency in the wake of the shooting and accountability for Arredondo.

Nearly 400 officers, most from state and federal agencies, responded to the shooting, but widespread failures among law enforcement at all levels resulted in a long delay, according to a report released this week by the Texas House of Representatives.

Arredondo treated the shooting as a barricaded subject situation instead of an active shooting and was "consumed" with searching for a key to the classroom where the gunman was located and had fired more than 100 rounds at students and teachers. No one checked the door to determine if it was unlocked until law enforcement confronted the gunman, according to the report.

Last week, the Austin American-Statesman released a nearly 80-minute hallway surveillance video showing the hesitant tactical response by dozens of officers as screams and gunshots occasionally be heard.

Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, criticized Arredondo in the days after the shooting, saying he made the "wrong decision" to treat the shooter as a barricaded subject, even as students called 911 inside the classroom pleading for help.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.