More than a month after the massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 21 dead, the police chief responsible has resigned, several media reported. “I think this is the best decision for Uvalde,” local newspaper Uvalde Leader News quoted police chief Pete Arredondo as saying. He was sent home on paid leave more than a week ago.
An 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers with a rifle at a school in Uvalde in late May. Since the fatal shooting, there has been a lot of criticism of the police officers, especially Arredondo, who arrived minutes after the gunman entered the school. It took about 70 minutes before officers finally confronted the gunman and shot him dead.
Arredondo previously told US media that they were waiting for a key to the classroom where the gunman had hidden and where students and teachers were present. The officers present would also not have had sufficient weapons and equipment to confront the shooter earlier.
Those arguments have been challenged in recent weeks, when released video images showed that agents with automatic weapons and bulletproof shields were in the school much earlier than said. Security images also show that the officers present never checked whether the classrooms were locked at all. If the officers present had confronted the gunman earlier, they could have saved lives, critics say.