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The Uvalde school board voted unanimously to fire Police Chief Pete Arredondo, three months after the worst school shooting in US history.
In a closed session meeting on Wednesday night, the school board met for nearly an hour and a half with parents and survivors of the May 24 Robb Elementary shooting present.
Arredondo was not present at the closed session meeting but issued a 17-page statement through his lawyer, George Hyde.
“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,” the statement reads.
Police Chief Pete Arredondo fired
Arredondo was placed on administrative leave by Uvalde School District Superintendent Hal Harrell on June 22 “because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations.”
A report released by the Texas House Investigative Committee found that there were “multiple systemic failures and poor decision making, with a lack of clear leadership,” in response to the shooting at Robb Elementary.
The report showed that nearly 400 law enforcement officials were on the scene as an 18-year-old gunman terrorized children and teachers for over an hour, killing 19 children and two teachers.
“The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering room 111 and 112, was the on-scene commander, [Pete Arredondo], who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children,” Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steven McGraw said.
Arredondo is not the only law enforcement officer that community members have called for to be fired. At the school board meeting, a child called for “all the law enforcement that were there that day, to turn in your badge and step down.” It’s unclear if any future firings will take place.