Uvalde officers who responded to the scene will be interviewed by the council’s lead investigator, Jesse Prado, a former Austin police detective, King said. “He’s going to conduct the investigation and we’re going to let the investigation go, see what it decides, but everybody that was Uvalde PD that was there will be held accountable for their actions,” he said. “We owe it to the families. We want to do it right,” said another council member, Everardo “Lalo” Zamora, referring to the grief the Texas community has suffered since the attack that left 19 students and two teachers dead. .The law enforcement response to the massacre, the second deadliest at a US K-12 school, has been widely criticized for the 80-minute delay between when the first shots were fired and the gunman finally being killed. Uvalde police officers were some of the first law enforcement personnel to arrive at the school where a gunman opened fire on people outside, entered the school through a side door and went into a classroom where he fired more than 100 rounds. In all, nearly 400 officers from two dozen agencies responded to the May 24 shooting. The Uvalde Police Department has 39 sworn officers, officials said Tuesday. Twenty-five of them went to the scene of the shooting, according to a report by a Texas House investigative committee. The city has already placed a lieutenant, who was acting chief of the police department that day, on administrative leave while it determines whether he should have taken command. The state Department of Public Safety is leading a criminal investigation into the shooting. Two reviews of the response so far — by the Texas House investigative committee and the Center for Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training at Texas State University — have blamed school district Police Chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, though none of these reports is intended to be a complete inventory of the day and its failings. The commission of inquiry also pointed to gross failures by the various law enforcement agencies that responded to the scene. Arredondo has not spoken publicly about his actions that day and declined CNN’s requests for comment. His attorney, who has not responded to CNN’s requests for comment, told the Texas Tribune that Arredondo was not the “commander of the incident.” Arredondo told the House investigative committee that he did not “feel that he was in command of the incident,” according to the legislative report — which quoted the chief as saying, “My approach and thinking was consistent with me as a police officer. And that’s how I did it, I don’t label myself.” The superintendent is on administrative leave and the school district superintendent has recommended that he be fired. The school board meeting to vote on his firing was canceled at the request of the superintendent’s attorney, officials said.
He calls for the officers to be removed from patrol
Some people at the city council meeting called for the city employees who went to the school to be put on leave or given clerical duties. “I know parents want answers. No one wants to give those answers more than I do to the city council,” Uvalde City Councilman Hector R. Luevano said during a public portion of the council meeting of Tuesday. “I’m a former police officer, so I have some insight into what needs to be done,” he added. “I can assure the families of this community that I will do everything in my power as a member of this council to give you the answers you need to hear,” he said. “If there’s an officer who violates any policy or procedure that they should have acted on and didn’t and could have caused the death of these kids, these teachers, I can assure you heads will roll,” Luvano said. . Council members said their investigator should complete his work within two months, after which Prado will make recommendations — possibly including disciplinary action — to the council.
Council member calls Texas governor
The board, as the school board did the night before, passed a resolution asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session of the state legislature to consider raising the minimum age to purchase a military-style semiautomatic rifle. Gunman Uvalde bought two AR-15 rifles for his 18th birthday. Use one in the massacre. Luevano said it was possible the governor would ignore the requests and cited Abbott’s connection to the National Rifle Association, noting that it had funded his campaign. “So will this special session happen? I think not,” he said. “And why do we have to ask for a special meeting? Why doesn’t he take the initiative?” “I don’t think he even cares about Uvalde,” Luevano added. CNN has sought comment from Abbott’s office. CNN’s Rosa Flores and Rosalina Nieves reported from Uvalde and Steve Almasy wrote in Atlanta. Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.
