Uvalde school police chief defends Texas shooting response

[brooklynite]

Source: Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas school police chief criticized for his actions during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history said in his first extensive comments, published Thursday, that he did not consider himself the person in charge as the massacre unfolded and assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response.

Pete Arredondo, the police chief of the Uvalde school district, also told the Texas Tribune that he intentionally left behind both his police and campus radios before entering Robb Elementary School. An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers behind a locked classroom door that the chief said was reinforced with a steel jamb and could not be kicked in.

Poor radio communications is among the concerns raised about how police handled the May 24 shooting and why they didn’t confront the gunman for more than an hour, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go in.

...snip...

Arredondo told the Tribune that from the hallway of the school he used his cell phone to call for tactical gear, a sniper and keys to get inside the classroom. He said he held back from the door for 40 minutes to avoid provoking gunfire and tried dozens of keys brought to him, but that, one-by-one, they failed to work.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2022/06/10/uvalde-school-police-chief-defends-texas-shooting-response/

[SleeplessinSoCal]

1. I hate that guy.

He's totally irresponsible.

[ck4829]

23. Agreed

[lark]

2. Chickenshit coward and liar.

He was more afraid of getting hurt than letting children die, he should resign immediately if he had a heart, which he doesn't. He's such a typical repug, all bluster but when it's them on the line, they 100% chicken out and refuse to do their jobs. If not for the border control taking over from him, after he refused to go in, who knows how many more children would have died. Also who knows how many were shot or bled out while he was twiddling his thumbs in fear.

[DinahMoeHum]

3. Psss psss psss psss psss! Meow! Meow!

[modrepub]

13. Brave Sir Peter

..he bravely ran away...

...Yes, brave Sir Peter turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.

No offense to chickens, some of them can actually stick up for themselves in a fight or flight situation. Man, when you're wrong just admit it or at least shut up and feel some shame.

[Claire Oh Nette]

4. "That's not my job"

"he did not consider himself the person in charge as the massacre unfolded and assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response."


Um, he was the chief of police. If some other agency was in charge, he'd have known.

He's a liar. Charge him with dereliction and negligent homicide.

All 19 of those chicken shit cowards.

[sarisataka]

15. Nearly the first question in a crisis is

"Who is in charge?"

And if no one is pointed out and you see no one with higher rank, YOU are in charge, until relieved or resolved.

[Igel]

19. There were two chiefs of police involved.

Once was the school district chief of police; the other was the chief of police for, well, pretty much the entire area. The one in the OP is Uvalde CISD police chief.

Districts have to make clear who's in charge in this kind of situation--otherwise you get bad assumptions made.

My district has said that their police force and the county's police force have agreed that the school police force has jurisdiction in case of an active shooter (which presumably would include an active shooter still on school grounds that is no longer considered such). Most of the teachers present were surprised, assuming that the district's police force would stand down once the county folk arrived, and not assume control at all if the county folk were first to arrive.

I haven't heard that UCISD had any arrangement worked out ahead of time. If not, I'm sure they will going forward.

[ck4829]

24. Yes

[Historic NY]

5. Horseshit....

keys rings of keys. What is he stupid the janitor would need a wheel barrel to carry them. Fleets have fleet keys, schools and big building have master keys.

[Augiedog]

6. There is no reasonable defense for what they failed to do....period.

[Delmette2.0]

8. You are right.

It took this long to come up with that drivel for an excuse?

[ck4829]

7. Another day, another lie

[llashram]

9. BS!

Cowards all...NOT incompetent...cowards.

[Paladin]

10. I hope that "chief" never enjoys another easy day for the rest of his life.

I hope images of those children and teachers---alive and dead---keep him from sleep. And above all, I hope he serves as a bad example for other cops to learn from, so that other kids and teachers manage to survive the many school shootings that are sure to be a part of this country's wretched history.

[ashredux]

11. He is either a coward, or he is the "fall guy" for this sad debacle

[LeftInTX]

12. The Texas Tribune has a more indepth article

Only a locked classroom door stood between Pete Arredondo and a chance to bring down the gunman. It was sturdily built with a steel jamb, impossible to kick in.

He wanted a key. One goddamn key and he could get through that door to the kids and the teachers. The killer was armed with an AR-15. Arredondo thought he could shoot the gunman himself or at least draw fire while another officer shot back. Without body armor, he assumed he might die.

“The only thing that was important to me at this time was to save as many teachers and children as possible,” Arredondo said.

The chief of police for the Uvalde school district spent more than an hour in the hallway of Robb Elementary School. He called for tactical gear, a sniper and keys to get inside, holding back from the doors for 40 minutes to avoid provoking sprays of gunfire. When keys arrived, he tried dozens of them, but one by one they failed to work.

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/09/uvalde-chief-pete-arredondo-interview/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1654825083&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Worth a read....Took me about 1/2 hour to read the thing

Arredondo stated that he left his radio in his vehicle
That he was not the incident commander (essentially there was no incident commander)
He was waiting for shields
Didn't have keys..(Most school PD have classroom keys)

[Permanut]

14. And millions will believe him..

Fox viewers, TFG cult members and other MAGATS, "evangelical christians" and gun huggers.

[Warpy]

16. He's contradicted by active shooter policy

so he's SOL on that point, and he knew officers were standing around waiting for orders.

The guy fucking FROZE and he's trying to cover that up, which is worse than admitting it.

People freeze all the time in hospitals when someone goes into cardiac arrest. Other people just get the person out of the way and go to work saving the patient. It's amazing to me that it didn't happen with these cops. Sargent sits the frozen chief down out of the way and starts to give the orders. It's why there is a chain of command.

[Wild blueberry]

17. Hey pal, when you're in a hole, stop digging.

[gldstwmn]

18. More lies and half truths.

The situation with the keys is mind boggling.

[colorado_ufo]

20. Did the sonuvabitch have a gun?

Why didn't he shoot the lock?

If he wasn't in charge, who prevented others from entering the school, including officers?

Is the a-hole in such bad physical shape that he can't run with a radio?

DOES HE KNOW HOW LONG AN HOUR PLUS IN HELL IS?

[IcyPeas]

21. in what universe could he possibly defend the police response to this?

they all just deny deny deny. don't take any blame. makes me sick.

[ck4829]

22. It is 100% disgusting

[hamsterjill]

25. How this man can live with himself is beyond me.

Much less try to defend his actions. He must have one HELL of an ego.