In response to the criminal indictment filed against him for the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo has requested the charges to be thrown out. Arredondo’s lawyers argue that the indictment on child endangerment and abandonment charges may not apply to him since he was described as the on-site “incident commander” during the incident where nearly 400 officers waited over 70 minutes to confront the shooter. Arredondo claims he should not have been considered the incident commander and is being unfairly blamed for the law enforcement failures that day.
Arredondo’s attorneys have raised questions about whether the actions of the former chief actually caused the “imminent danger of death, bodily injury, and physical and mental impairment” during the tragic shooting. They argue that the indictment is vague and uncertain in attributing blame to Arredondo for his decisions during the active shooter incident. The massacre at Robb Elementary School, which left 19 students and two teachers dead, was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Arredondo was indicted in June, and his motion to dismiss the charges comes in the wake of a recent school shooting in Georgia where school security officers were praised for their quick response.
Arredondo and another former Uvalde schools police officer, Adrian Gonzales, are the only law enforcement officials who have been charged in connection to the response to the Robb Elementary shooting. Gonzales faces similar charges and both have pleaded not guilty. The charges against Arredondo and Gonzales carry up to two years in jail if convicted. The indictments allege that the actions and inactions of both officers amounted to criminal negligence as terrified students inside the classroom called 911 while shots were being fired, pleading for officers to enter and intervene.
As the legal battle continues, the defense for Arredondo and Gonzales will likely focus on proving that the actions taken during the incident were not sufficient to warrant criminal charges. The lawyers for Arredondo have emphasized that their client was responding to an active shooter situation that was already in progress when he arrived at the scene. The outcome of this case could have widespread implications for how law enforcement officials are held accountable for their actions during high-pressure, life-threatening situations like school shootings. It remains to be seen how the court will ultimately rule on the motion to dismiss the charges against Arredondo and Gonzales.
