The former Uvalde schools police chief and another former district officer have been indicted by a grand jury for their role responding to a gunman who opened fire inside Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers in May 2022. Pete Arredondo, the former chief who served as police commander, is in custody and accused of abandoning and endangering a child individual, the San Antonio Express-News reported on Thursday. Adrian Gonzales, a former district police officer was also indicted on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
The Austin American-Statesman reported the two former officers could face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of the felony charges. The new indictments arrive after a half-year grand jury investigation that involved in-person testimony. The response of law enforcement officials to the 2022 massacre has been described as a major failure by both the Department of Justice and the Texas House of Representatives , following lengthy investigations.
Officials infamously waited outside Robb Elementary for over an hour before finally entering and confronting the gunman, who was killed inside a classroom. The indictment news comes just over a month after the families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting reached a $2 million settlement with the City of Uvalde, and filed a lawsuit against law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting. Trending Why Is Everybody Talking About the Hawk Tuah Girl? Dr Disr.
