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UVALDE, Texas – Former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and former officer Adrian Gonzales have been indicted over their role in the grossly negligent law enforcement response to the 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, the local sheriff announced Thursday.
Arredondo faces 10 counts of felony child endangerment/abandonment following a grand jury indictment. He was booked into the county jail before being released on bond, NBC 5 DFW reported.
Former school police officer Adrian Gonzales was charged in a separate indictment with 29 counts of child endangerment: one for each of the 19 children who died and one for each of 10 survivors who suffered physical or psychological injuries, District Attorney Christina Mitchell confirmed, according to the Uvalde Leader-News and the San Antonio Express-News.
Arredondo, who was the on-site commander during the attack, and Gonzales are now the first officers to face criminal charges in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
An extremely critical report by Texas lawmakers that examined the police response described Gonzales as one of the first officers to enter the building after the shooting began.
Once Arredondo arrived at the scene, he neglected to bring his radio and attempted to locate a master key to the classroom doors from a safe distance. He reportedly spent more than an hour in the hallway trying dozens of keys from a custodian, but never attempted to access any rooms where the gunman or children might be present, the investigative report noted, according to the Post Millennial.
The former chief directed personnel to remain clear of the classroom doors to prevent injury while waiting for tactical gear, a sniper, and additional keys.
The indictments remained sealed until the men were taken into custody. It was unclear when Arredondo’s indictment would be publicly released.
On May 24, 2022, a crazed 18-year-old gunman opened fire in a fourth-grade classroom, where he remained for more than 70 minutes before officers confronted and killed him.
Arredondo was fired three months after the shooting, as were several officers. Whether any law enforcement personnel would face criminal charges over their actions in Uvalde has been a question hanging over the city of 15,000 since the Texas Rangers completed their investigation and turned their findings over to the DA’s office.
Additionally, Arredondo was elected to the Uvalde City Council on May 7, 2022, weeks before the shooting, and privately sworn into office May 31, 2022, one week after the shooting. However, as investigations unfolded and pressure mounted, he resigned about a month later, Law Officer reported.
According to NBC 5, Uvalde CISD released the following statement:
“As with the rest of the Uvalde community, we have only just learned about the grand jury decision regarding two indictments being issued. We have no information separate from what is being reported by the media. As we have done and continue to do, we extend our sincerest sympathies to all who lost loved ones. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this challenging situation.”
Robb Elementary School was permanently closed following the massacre. The city broke ground on a new school in October 2023.
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Source: www.lawofficer.com