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Uvalde school police chief won’t take council seat Tuesday as feds open probe

Uvalde strong
Posted at 7:15 AM, May 31, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-31 10:16:31-04

School district Police Chief Pete Arredondo won’t take his seat Tuesday on the Uvalde City Council following last week’s mass school shooting.

City Mayor Don McLaughlin issued a statement to CNN Monday that Tuesday’s City Council meeting has been canceled, delaying Arredondo’s City Council debut.

"Pete Arredondo was duly elected to the City Council," the mayor's statement said. "There is nothing in the City Charter, Election Code, or Texas Constitution that prohibits him from taking the oath of office. To our knowledge, we are currently not aware of any investigation of Mr. Arredondo."

Arredondo was elected to a seat on City Council earlier this month.

Texas Department of Public Safety officials have blamed Arredondo for leading the botched response to the massacre. It took more than an hour for officers to confront the gunman responsible for killing 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

DPS officials said Arredondo directed officers not to engage the gunman, which goes against active shooter best practices. DPS officials said that Arredondo believed the incident was a barricade situation, not an active shooter, despite 911 calls from students experiencing gunfire.

Arredondo has largely remained out of the public view since last week’s shooting.

The Department of Justice said Sunday it will open an investigation into law enforcement's handling during last week's mass school shooting.