Texas Shooting: Uvalde Police Chief Placed On Leave After Bungled Response To Mass Shooter

As more details surface surrounding the Texas school shooting, Uvalde school district police Pete Arredondo has been placed on administrative leave. Lieutenant Mike Hernandez will be replacing him, according to a statement by Superintendent Hal Harrell.

Arredondo has been criticized for delaying his assault on mass shooter Salvador Ramos. NBC News reports that Harrell previously stated that the school district would wait until the investigation concludes for them to make their decision on staff changes. However, due to the lack of clarity in the investigations surrounding the response, as well as the unknown timeline for the results, Harrell decided to suspend the embattled police chief, effective immediately.

Officers Were Equipped to Take Salvador Ramos Down But Had No Clear Orders

Previously, Pete Arredondo told the media that the police were not able to storm Ramos' position because they were not equipped properly. However, security footage has shown that the officers had access to not just body armor but also ballistic shields.

Another excuse was that the officers were still waiting for the master key to unlock the door. However, as reported by the Texas Tribune, recent footage has questioned whether the doors were locked in the first place.

Arredondo was the commander when the incident took place. However, he previously stated that he did not consider himself the officer-in-charge when the mass shootings took place. Several officers who responded have stated that the police chief was directing orders during the incident, contradicting Arredondo's statement.

Pete Arredondo Face Criticism From Fellow Law Enforcers

The Uvalde police chief has had many critics following the incident, including Steve McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, who called the response "an abject failure."

In a testimony before a Texas Senate committee, McCraw stated that Arredondo placed the lives of his officers before the lives of the children he was supposed to protect.

McCraw has been very vocal in his criticism of the Uvalde police chief, stating that the officers had weapons, equipment, and armor, while the children did not. He pointed out that Arredondo's indecision led to "one hour, 14 minutes and 8 seconds" being wasted, which was ample time to rescue the children.

Gil Kerlikowske, a former Seattle police chief, is also criticizing the embattled Uvalde police chief, stating that he was the rightful commander during the situation. However, as the shooter continued to fire freely, state or city police could have also encouraged Arredondo to hand over control. Unfortunately, as the incident happened, it was unclear who was really in charge of the situation, as officers waited for clear orders to engage as the shooting happened.

Reuters reports that Arredondo was still new at his job when the shootings occurred, only being elected to the Uvalde City Council shortly before Salvador Ramos assaulted Robb Elementary School. He requested a leave of absence following the incident but was denied by the city council.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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