Uvalde School District Police Chief Fired

On Wednesday night, the Uvalde school board unanimously voted to fire school district police chief Pete Arredondo.

The police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas has been the subject of much scrutiny after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos fatally shot 19 students and two teachers on May 24.

Arredondo, through his attorney, challenged the potential firing by arguing that his actions on the day of the shootings were “consistent with active shooter training,” as Austin American-Statesman reports.

At the school board’s executive session on Wednesday, the public testified about the tragedy and sought accountability from the school board.

The grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza, who was among the slain victims, addressed the board. “We need justice for our kids,” she said, fighting through tears. “Twenty-one lives lost.”

Eighteen additional victims were wounded by Ramos’ gunfire, including the 18-year-old’s grandmother.

School children and staff at Robb Elementary waited more than an hour for help during Ramos’ massacre. Despite the presence of hundreds of officers on the scene– including 149 U.S. Border Patrol agents, 91 Texas State Troopers, and give Uvalde school district officers– the standoff with Ramos lasted 74 minutes. He was killed by police after he reportedly burst out of a closet and fired shots at officers.

Video footage has shown law enforcement aggressively holding parents back from entering the school to save their children. Other footage captured police waiting in the hallway outside one classroom as Ramos is heard firing shots. As USA TODAY reports, “state investigators have found that the door was never locked and there was no evidence that any officer tried opening the door.”

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