Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo 'Unanimous' Termination Echoes Experts' Sentiments
Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo was unanimously terminated earlier this week after months of delayed decisions from the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) board.
Arredondo's termination has long been rallied by the families of Robb Elementary School shooting victims and the community because of his botched response to the massacre.
During his termination, Arredondo was not present, but he sent his attorney George Hyde instead to deliver a statement, which experts have piqued interest at.
Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo Unanimously Fired
In the Uvalde CISD meeting earlier this week, the board unanimously voted to terminate the employment of Pete Arredondo.
Arredondo was the acting Uvalde School Board Police Chief in charge of the law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School shooting last May.
According to CNN, Lieutenant Mike Hernandez will be acting interim Police Chief for the meantime, per the school board's statement.
Concerns about Arredondo's safety and death threats were the reasons why he did not attend the meeting. Instead, his attorney was there to speak on his behalf.
"Chief Arredondo will not participate in his own illegal and unconstitutional public lynching and respectfully requests the Board immediately reinstate him, with all backpay and benefits and close the complaint as unfounded," George Hyde told the board.
In Hyde's statement, the embattled former police chief said his public termination "demonstrates that no good deed goes unpunished."
Since the Uvalde school shooting took place, Arredondo was at the forefront of massive national scrutiny on law enforcement's response to one of the deadliest school shootings in the country.
"Chief Arredondo hopes at least those who are willing to listen, understand that he is, and has been... forced into the role of the 'fall guy' and 'the sacrificial lamb,'" the 17-page statement reads, which piqued the interest of some experts.
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Experts Weighed in on Uvalde Police Chief Arrendondo's Termination
Several experts told ABC News that Pete Arredondo's claim contrasted with the actual facts of the case.
"Leaders take responsibility for their actions. Pete Arredondo exercised poor judgment, and he is attempting to shift the focus," former Texas Supreme Court justice Eva Guzman said.
In the statement, Arredondo also claimed that he was not the on-site commander, despite protocols saying otherwise. However, former Homeland Security exec John Cohen said that active shooter training indicates that "the incident commander is the senior official of the jurisdiction" where the incident occurred.
"At the end of the day, this chief was in command on the day that an individual was able to walk into a school and gun down 21 people including 19 kids. While there may have been issues with door locks and communication, at the end of the day, he owns it," Cohen added.
The Robb Elementary School shooting is by far Texas' deadliest school shooting and was the third most-deadliest in the United States.
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Written by: Ivan Korrs
WATCH: Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo Fired in Unanimous Vote by School Board - From FOX 4 Dallas-Forth Worth