Uvalde School Sheriff Pete Arredondo stands during a news conference outside Robb Elementary School on May 26 in Uvalde, Texas.
Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
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Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
Uvalde School Sheriff Pete Arredondo stands during a news conference outside Robb Elementary School on May 26 in Uvalde, Texas.
Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
Pete Arredondo, the sheriff in charge of law enforcement response to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has been fired.
Following a nearly 90-minute termination hearing held Wednesday night, the Uvalde Independent School District board voted unanimously to terminate Arredondo’s contract with immediate effect. ie. They also found that there was good reason for him not to receive salary during his period of unpaid administrative leave from July 19.
Arredondo’s termination hearing was originally scheduled for a month ago, but that hearing was canceled at the request of attorney Arredondowho told the sheriff that the sheriff was properly dealt with.
Arredondo was not present at Wednesday’s meeting, saying he was worried about his safety, but his attorney released him. a 17-page statement to the Texas Tribune to respond to the termination hearing.
“Sheriff Arredondo will not engage in his own illegal and unconstitutional public secession and respectfully requests the Board of Directors to immediately reinstate him, with all returns and interests and closing the complaint are baseless,” reads the statement.
The families of 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting have been asking Arredondo to be fired since it was first reported in late May that the sheriff in charge of law enforcement response. law in shootings.
Hundreds of officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman while the kids in the 4th grade classroom where he was hiding were called 911.
A report by Texas House found 376 law enforcement officers at the scene, including 150 U.S. Border Patrol Agents, 91 Texas Department of Public Safety soldiers, 25 Uvalde police officers, 16 sheriffs, and five Uvalde Unified Independent School District officer.
State legislators investigating the shooting discovered failures in law enforcement at all levels. But the district’s active shooting plan – co-written by Arredondo – called on Arredondo to command all the officers who responded that day. However, Arredondo insists that he did not know he was in charge of the incident.
Arredondo, a native of Uvalde, was hired as the school district’s sheriff in 2020. Prior to that, he worked at the Webb County Sheriff’s office in South Texas. The San Antonio Express News reported that Arredondo was demoted from a senior position in 2014 because it was difficult for him to get along with others in the department.
Despite growing calls to action following the shooting, Uvalde CEO Hal Harrell waited nearly two months to recommend Arredondo terminate his contract.
At a lively school board forum in JulyBrett Cross, uncle and guardian of Uziyah Garcia, even gave the board a deadline. Uziyah was one of 19 children killed in the shooting.
“I will tell you this. If he is not fired by noon tomorrow, then I want to resign from you and all your board members because you all don’t care about your children. ours or us,” Cross said at the time. . “Stand with us or against us, because we’re not going anywhere.”
Cross said he did not buy Arredondo without appearing at termination hearings out of fear for his safety, saying in public comments Wednesday that Arredondo was not present. “to face the consequences for his actions.”
