Uvalde school police chief Pedro Arredondo and another officer are charged with child endangerment over school massacre that saw shooter Salvador Ramos kill 21
The former Uvalde School Police Chief and another ex-cop have been charged in connection with their botched response to the Robb Elementary School massacre.
Former chief Pedro ‘Pete’ Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales have been indicted on child abuse charges in connection with the tragedy, San Antonio Express News reports.
A total of 21 people, including 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers, were killed when 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos opened fire on May 24, 2022.
Police came under heavy criticism in the aftermath of the shooting after it emerged no one tried to confront Ramos until 77 minutes after he began his rampage.
Arredondo, police chief of the Uvalde School District, was responsible for the large-scale police response that day, which included at least 380 officers from various local, state and federal agencies visiting the school.
Former Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo (pictured) and another ex-officer have been charged over their botched response to the Robb Elementary massacre
He and Gonzales, a school police officer, were among the first officers on the scene.
The former chief was heavily criticized for failing to engage the gunman even as children were bleeding.
He admitted that he decided not to neutralize Ramos, hoping to save the lives of other children.
However, this action violated his department’s active shooter protocols and effectively resulted in students being trapped in the classroom and Ramos being left for dead.
Arredondo was immediately placed on administrative leave. A DOJ investigation found that leadership failures led to delays that may have exacerbated the fatalities.
An investigation for the city of Uvalde also found that officers tried to storm the classroom as soon as the bulletproof shields arrived, but they were drowned out by Arredondo.
Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers during the rampage on May 24, 2022
Footage shows Peter Arredondo directing armed officers at Uvalde Elementary School
The criminal charges against the former police officer are the first in connection with the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
District Attorney Christina Mitchell announced in January that she had empaneled a grand jury to consider possible charges.
As part of the fact-finding mission, the twelve jurors toured the now-closed school for about an hour.
Democrat Senator Roland Gutierrez has expressed outrage that Arredondo and Gonzales are the only police charged over the failures.
“If they’re going to charge those two officers, they should also charge the 13 DPS officers in that hallway,” Gutierrez told the San Antonio Express News. “I find that very disturbing.”
This is a breaking news story, check back often for updates…