Uvalde, Texas (AP) —Uvalde School District Police Chief resigned from city council position just weeks after sworn following allegations of making mistakes in responding to shootings at Rob Elementary School. .. 19 students and 2 teachers died..
Chief Pete Aledondo Said Ubaldi Leader-News On Friday he decided to resign for the benefit of the city administration. He was elected to the Third District Council on May 7, and was sworn in at a private ceremony on May 31, just one week after the slaughter.
“I’m sorry to have informed those who voted for me that after careful consideration I decided to resign as a member of the City Council in District 3. The mayor, city council, and city officials We have to keep moving forward without distraction .. I think this is the best decision for Yuvalde, “said Aledondo.
Arredondo has been Leave of absence from his school district status after June 22, Rejected repeated request for comment from Associated Press. His lawyer, George Hyde, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by email on Saturday.
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On June 21, the city council unanimously resolved to refuse Arredondo’s absence from attending the public meeting. Relatives of the shooting victims begged city leaders to dismiss him.
Mayor Yuvalde’s representative, Don McLaughlin, did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
Colonel Stephen McLaugh, Director of Public Safety, Texas, Speaking to the Senate hearing Last month, field commander Arredondo made a “terrible decision” when the massacre unfolded on May 24, and police response was a “serious failure.”
Three minutes after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered school, McLaugh testified that a well-armed law enforcement agency was on the scene and stopped the shooters. Still, rifle-armed police officers stood in the school corridor and waited for more than an hour while the shooters were slaughtering. The Classroom door It couldn’t be locked from the inside, but there was no sign that the officer tried to open the door while the shooter was inside, McLough said.
McLaugh said Parents begged the police outside of school Students in the classroom after moving in Repeatedly asked the 911 operator for help A dozen officers were waiting in the corridor. Officers from other agencies urged Arredondo to move them in because the children were at risk.
“The only thing that prevented the full-time officer’s corridor from entering rooms 111 and 112 was the on-site commander who decided to prioritize the officer’s life over the children’s,” McLaugh said. rice field.
Aledondo tried to defend his actions, Tell the Texas Tribune He did not consider himself the commander of the operation, but assumed that someone else was in control of the law enforcement response. He didn’t have police and college radio, but said he used his cell phone to request tactical equipment, snipers and classroom keys.
Not clear yet Why it took so long To get the police into the classroom How they communicated What each other and their body cameras show during the attack.
Authorities refused to disclose the details, citing the investigation.
Aledondo, 50, I grew up in Yuvarde And he spent much of his nearly 30-year career at law enforcement agencies in the city.