Pete Arredondo, the former police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in Texas, has been arrested.
According to CBS News, Arrendondo was booked into the Uvalde County Jail on Thursday on 10 counts of child endangerment related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting. However, he was released after posting ten $10,000 bonds, one for each count, per Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco.
Adrian Gonzales, another former Uvalde school police officer, was also indicted on 29 counts for failing to respond adequately during the shooting. His court documents allege that Gonzalez heard gunshots and was advised of the general location of the shooter with time to respond, but failed “to follow his active shooter training.”
Gonzalez was booked into the Uvalde County Jail but released from custody after posting twenty-nine $10,000 bonds, per a statement from Nolasco.
"[It's] very emotional," said Jesse Rizo, the uncle of victim Jackie Cazares, per CBS News. "I knew the day was going to come. I wasn't sure how long it would take."
The Uvalde school district said it learned of the grand jury indictments through media reports, and extended condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the shooting.
The indictments arrive more than two years after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in May 2022.
Arredondo commented to Texas Tribune one month following the highly-criticized shooting that he “never considered himself the scene’s incident commander.” He was fired in August following a unanimous school board vote.
Last month, families of the Uvalde school shooting reached a $2 million settlement with the city. At the time, the families also announced their intentions to pursue legal action against the officers involved in the response.
