Family of Uvalde victims hope for more indictments following arrest of former school police chief

UVALDE, Texas — 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. He was released from custody after posting ten $10,000 bonds, one for each of the counts, Nolasco said.

A grand jury indicted Arredondo and a second officer who responded to the Uvalde shooting, according to documents reviewed by CBS News. 

"[It's] very emotional," said Jesse Rizo, the uncle of Jackie Cazares, one of the victims. "I knew the day was going to come. I wasn't sure how long it would take."    

In a statement to CBS News Thursday evening, the school district said it "only just learned about the grand jury decision regarding two indictments being issued," and had "no information separate from what is being reported by the media."

"As we have done and continue to do, we extend our sincerest sympathies to all who lost loved ones," Uvalde CISD said. "Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this challenging situation."

The indictments come more than two years after a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary. Law enforcement officers killed the gunman in a classroom after waiting more than an hour to confront him, which was heavily criticized in the wake of the shooting. Arredondo was fired in 2022, three months to the day of the shooting.

The indictment alleges that Arredondo failed to respond to the shooting appropriately, including ordering officers to evacuate the wing of the school where the massacre took place and failing to determine if a classroom door was locked. The indictment also alleges that Arredondo did not deliver children to a designated emergency care provider. 

Rizo called Arredondo's arrest a step in the right direction, and hoped more indictments will follow.

 "It's obvious what he did was wrong. It's obvious that he could've saved a lot of lives, but sitting there and looking for keys on a keychain for a long time. It's just unacceptable," said Rizo. "I'm surprised that a lot of other officers weren't charged. I'm disappointed in that but I am happy to see that there is finally judgment coming." 

The Justice Department released a hard-hitting report in January on the response by law enforcement to the mass shooting, pointing to a series of "cascading failures" by the police chief and others.

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

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S.E. Jenkins

S.E. Jenkins is a digital content producer for CBS Texas. S.E. has previously held roles in London and Ukraine. She has also been a Digital Content Producer in Tallahassee and Myrtle Beach. S.E. graduated with journalism degrees from Texas State University, Aarhus Universitet and City University of London.