Texas school police chief defends response to shooting in Uvalde

During one of the deadliest school shootings of U.S. history, the Texas school police chief was criticized for his actions. He said in his first extensive comments published Thursday that he thought someone else was in charge during the incident. He also said that he believed another officer had taken control of the law enforcement response.

In an interview with the Texas Tribune, Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo claimed to have intentionally left both his campus and police radios behind as he entered Robb Elementary School.

But Arredondo, who told the Tribune he believed that carrying radios would slow him down as he entered the school and that he knew that radios did not work in some school buildings, said he never considered himself the scene’s incident commander and did not give any instruction that police should not attempt to breach the building.

Separately, The New York Times reported Thursday that documents show police waited for protective equipment as they delayed entering the campus, even as they became aware that some victims needed medical treatment.

10 June 2022