Two former Uvalde school district police officers, including the former chief, have been indicted on felony charges of child endangerment and abandonment related to their response to the May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, which resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers.
Former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales faces 29 counts of abandoning and endangering a child, while former Uvalde CISD police chief Pete Arredondo faces 10 counts of child endangerment. Both men turned themselves in and were released on $10,000 surety bonds.
The indictments are the first criminal charges stemming from the heavily criticized police response, which saw nearly 376 law enforcement officers take 77 minutes to neutralize the gunman. A grand jury investigation was convened to understand the delays in the law enforcement response and led to these charges.
People need to understand that Pete Arredondo isn’t the police chief for all of Uvalde
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022
He is the chief of the Uvalde school police
The school was his sole priority pic.twitter.com/MjFvuAnYwf
The police response was condemned in reports by the Department of Justice and a special Texas House investigative committee, both citing systemic failures and a lack of coordination. Arredondo was fired for his role, and other officers faced disciplinary actions or resignations. The Uvalde CISD police department was suspended, and several top officials were placed on administrative leave, with some subsequently retiring.
Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, was vice-chair of the Texas House Investigative committee. In a statement to Nexstar, Moody said “accountability is important.”
“I think anyone who read our report on the shooting knows that I believe Arredondo failed the families of Uvalde,” he said. “But those same families are always my number one priority, so I hope the way this is handled provides them with justice and closure, not prolonged suffering.”
The Austin American-Statesmen reports that Arredondo “failed to respond as trained to an active shooter incident … thereby delaying the response by law enforcement officers to an active shooter who was hunting and shooting a child or children in Room 112 at Robb Elementary School,” the indictment said.
Through his attorney, Arredondo has previously claimed that he was unaware he was the designated incident commander that day.
Nico LaHood, the attorney defending Gonzales, issued a statement on the indictment, according to NBC.
“Mr. Gonzales’ position is he did not violate school district policy or state law,” the statement said.
The statement continued: “The application of this statute, to law enforcement, under these circumstances is unprecedented in the state of Texas. It will take time to evaluate these allegations and the underlying facts.”
Nico LaHood, the attorney representing Gonzales, issued a statement regarding the indictment, according to NBC.
“Mr. Gonzales’ position is he did not violate school district policy or state law,” the statement said.
LaHood added, “The application of this statute, to law enforcement, under these circumstances is unprecedented in the state of Texas. It will take time to evaluate these allegations and the underlying facts.”
