Former Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo Arrested 2 Years After Robb Elementary School Shooting

UVALDE — Pete Arredondo, the former police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, was arrested Thursday, more than two years after the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.

Arredondo was booked into the Uvalde County Jail on 10 counts of child endangerment, Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco told CBS News in a text message. He was released after posting $10,000 bail, Nolasco said.

The San Antonio Express-News reported that a grand jury indicted Arredondo and a second officer who responded to the Uvalde shooting.

“[It’s] “I was very emotional,” said Jesse Rizo, the uncle of Jackie Cazares, one of the victims. “I knew this day was coming. I didn’t know how long it would take.”

In a statement to CBS News Thursday night, the school district said it “just learned of the grand jury's decision regarding two indictments” and had “no information separate from what is being reported in the media.”

“As we have done and continue to do, we extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones,” Uvalde CISD said. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this difficult situation.”

The alleged charges reported by the Express-News come more than two years after an armed teenager was attacked. killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Law enforcement killed shooter in classroom after wait more than an hour to confront him, which was heavily criticized in the aftermath of the shooting. Arredondo was fired in 2022, three months to the day after the shooting.

Rizo called Arredondo's arrest a step in the right direction, hoping more charges will follow.

“It’s obvious what he did was wrong. It’s obvious he could have saved a lot of lives, but to sit there looking for keys on a keychain for that long is just unacceptable,” Rizo said. “I’m surprised a lot of other officers haven’t been charged. I’m disappointed by that, but I’m glad to see a judgment finally being made.”

THE The Department of Justice released a hard-hitting report in January on law enforcement's response to the mass shooting, highlighting a series of “cascading failures” by the police chief and others.

In May, family members of Victims of Uvalde school shooting The city of Uvalde has reached a $2 million settlement with the city. The city of Uvalde will pay a total of $2 million to the families of the children killed in the shooting and the two children who survived, according to a statement from the families' attorneys.