Uvalde police chief, blamed for shootout response, to join City Council

Pedro ‘Pete’ Arredondo, a Texas law enforcement officer, has been tied to the police’s delayed and faulty response to the school shooting in Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School on Tuesday. He will reportedly become a part of Uvalde’s city council in the coming days.

Arrendondo, 50, was elected to the City Council just three weeks before the violent shooting. His campaign for the position was reportedly based on “a platform of communication and outreach to the community”, NBC News reported.

Also See: In pics: With teary eyes, US says goodbye to Uvalde shooting victims

Arrendondo has been conducting press conferences after the mass shooting to give police briefings, however, he has been missing from the public eye after he was partly assigned blame for the police’s botched response.

It is not clear if Arrendondo’s membership in the Uvalde City Council will be impacted in any way after the shooting. He will be working under Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin.

Arrendondo currently serves as the chief of police for the Uvalde school district, according to local media reports.

Arrendondo has been an active member of the Uvalde community and waited two years before kicking off his bid for the City Council. He reportedly gained roughly 70% of the votes and bested three other candidates.

“I am very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have plenty of drive”, Arrendondo told Uvalde Leader-News. 

Also Read: Uvalde school shooting: Why police officials had a delayed response

What role did Pedro ‘Pete’ Arredondo play in the Uvalde school shooting response?

The district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo, decided officers should wait to confront the gunman Salvador Ramos on the belief he was barricaded inside adjoining classrooms and children were no longer at risk, officials said Friday.  

Texas Department of Public Safety head Steven McCraw said that Arrendondo took “the wrong decision.”