Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo says he is stepping down from City Council
Pete Arredondo, the embattled Uvalde CISD police chief and recently elected councilman, told the city’s local newspaper that he is resigning from the City Council after repeated calls for him to quit.
Arredondo told the Uvalde Leader News on Saturday that he is stepping down from the District 3 seat so that the city council could “move on without distractions.” He was one meeting away from abdicating his seat due to lack of attendance.
“As I think about my life, from growing up as a child and to adulthood, Uvalde has held an attraction that is very unique,” he said in a statement to the Uvalde Leader News. “At the center of that attraction, is our community members. Together, we will keep Uvalde strong.”
The city initially said its officials were aware of Arredondo’s intentions but had not received a call or letter confirming his resignation, according to a statement issued at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 2. A second news release sent an hour later confirmed the resignation.
City policy says that City Council vacancies are filled through special elections.
His resignation comes after repeated calls from Uvalde residents for him to step down from both his City Council post and as police chief for UCISD. Arredondo has received mounting criticism for the way he handled the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told a Texas Senate committee weeks ago that law enforcement response under Arredondo’s direction as incident commander that day was an “abject failure.” Uvalde Leader News reports that Arredondo continues to deny that he was incident commander.
The family of the victims showed up to a special City Council meeting on June 30 to call on Arredondo to resign and for the city to release records and body cam footage from the shooting. Multiple officers waited outside of the classroom they knew the gunman was in for more than an hour before confronting and killing him.
Mayor Don McLaughlin has refused to release public records to journalists and families, shifting the blame to District Attorney Christina Busbee and DPS.
UCISD placed Arredondo on administrative leave on June 22.
