Uvalde School Board Unanimously Votes to Fire Police Chief Arredondo

UVALDE – The Uvalde School Board voted unanimously Wednesday evening to fire embattled Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who many blame for the response of law enforcement at the tragic shooting at the school.  

CNN is reporting that the Uvalde school board voted unanimously Wednesday evening to terminate the contract of police chief Pete Arredondo after meeting in a closed session. 

Arredondo didn't attend the meeting, with a statement from his attorney saying the district wasn't following legal procedure as it moved to fire him and he didn't feel safe attending the meeting.

Arredondo has come under intense public scrutiny over the police response to the deadly May 24 school shooting, America's deadliest school shooting since 2012.

The attacker remained in two adjoined classrooms for more than an hour before officers entered the rooms and killed him. The delay contradicted normal training for active shooter situations that call for police to immediately stop the threat and came even as children inside repeatedly called 911 and begged for help.

A Texas House committee report released in July said the responding officers lacked clear leadership, basic communications and sufficient urgency to more quickly confront the gunman, who was shot and killed after a U.S. Border Patrol tactical team entered the classroom where most of the victims were shot.

Arredondo was listed in the district’s active-shooter plan as the commanding officer, but the consensus of those interviewed by the House committee was that Arredondo did not assume that role and no one else took over for him, which resulted in a chaotic law enforcement response.

Nineteen children and two adults were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde County on May 24. It is the deadliest shooting ever at a Texas public school.