The Uvalde school district’s police chief has been placed on leave following allegations his response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead was an “abject failure”. Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District superintendent Hal Harrell said that he put schools police chief Pete Arredondo on administrative leave because the facts of what happened the day in southern Texas remain unclear.
In a statement, Mr Harrell did not address the officer’s actions as on-site commander during the attack, but said he did not know when details of multiple investigations into the law enforcement response to the slayings would be revealed. “From the beginning of this horrible event, I shared that the district would wait until the investigation was complete before making personnel decisions,” Mr Harrell said.
“Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date.” A spokesperson for the Uvalde school district, Anne Marie Espinoza, declined to say whether Mr Arredondo would continue to be paid while on leave.
