According to new reporting from ABC Eyewitness News 11, parents of the children who were slaughtered in their 4th-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, are now calling on embattled school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo to resign from his position. Their calls to action came during a highly emotional school board meeting.
The emotionally-charged school board meeting took place just short of a month after Salvador Ramos entered the elementary school classroom, barricaded himself inside, and proceeded to shoot and kill 189 innocent students and 2 beloved teachers with an AR-15 style assault rifle.
In the hours, days, and weeks after the tragic, heinous massacre, speculations and scandal have continued to rapidly grow surrounding the Uvalde Police Force, the school district police chief, the Border Patrol tactical unit, and their overall response to the dire situation.
Brett Cross, the uncle of student Uziyah Garcia, who lost their life in the horrific shooting, said, “Having Pete still employed, knowing he is incapable of decision-making that saves lives is terrifying. Innocence doesn’t hide, innocence doesn’t change its story, but innocence did die on May 24.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
Ultimately, it took around 77 minutes after Ramos entered Robb Elementary School for a special Border Patrol tactical unit to breach the classroom and take the shooter out, leaving him dead on the scene. Arredondo has publicly stated that he believed the immediate threat to the children and teachers inside the 4th-grade classroom was already over within the first few minutes of shots fired, leading to his decision to delay law enforcement’s entry into the classroom. He has since stated that this was the wrong decision.
Jesus Rizo Jr. said, “At one point or another you’re going to have to draw a line in the sand to decide if you hold one of your own accountable. Pete, Mr. Arredondo, is also my friend. I’m sure we all got along with him. At one point or another, we’re going to have to decide if we hold them accountable. And I pray that you make the right decision.”
ABC 11 reports:
Uvalde school board meetings typically allow up to 15 minutes total for public comment, but board members expanded the timetable for Monday’s meeting.
A number of attendees held “Fire Pete Arredondo” signs as they stood at the side of the auditorium.
Among those at the meeting was Lyliana Garcia, 16, who lost both her parents as a result of the attack. Her mother was Irma Garcia, one of the teachers who died during the shooting, and her father was Joe Garcia, who died of a heart attack two days later.”
As it stands, Uvalde School District officials have not responded to multiple questions and requests for comments from ABC 11 regarding Arredondo’s employment status.
Read the full report here.
Featured image via screen capture
