A grand jury in Uvalde County has indicted former school district police Chief Pete Arredondo and another former district officer, Adrian Gonzales, on charges of child endangerment related to their response during the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting. This marks the first criminal charges stemming from the incident, where a lone gunman took the lives of 19 fourth graders and two teachers on May 24, 2022.
The indictment follows a lengthy investigation initiated by Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell, who convened a grand jury earlier this year to examine law enforcement’s handling of the shooting. The focus was on whether any of the nearly 400 federal, state, and local officers involved should face criminal charges due to the delayed response. It was reported that law enforcement took 77 minutes to confront the gunman, who was eventually killed by Border Patrol officers.
Criticism of the law enforcement response was severe, especially highlighted in a U.S. Justice Department report in January, which cited leadership failures and suggested that quicker action could have saved lives, as noted by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
In the aftermath of the shooting, approximately a dozen officers faced disciplinary actions, including termination, suspension, or retirement. Arredondo himself was terminated from his position about three months post-incident. He had been designated as the incident commander on the school district’s active shooter response plan.
Family members of victims were briefed by the district attorney about the indictment, including Jesse Rizo, who expressed hope that this is just the beginning of accountability for those involved. Local activist Lalo Castillo, upon learning of the indictments, expected further charges against state officials.
The indictment of Arredondo and Gonzales underscores the gravity of the situation and the legal ramifications faced by those responsible for ensuring public safety during such critical incidents.
