The Uvalde, Texas, school district�s police chief was put on leave
Wednesday amid increasing controversy surrounding police response to the
May shooting at Robb Elementary School, the Associated Press reports.

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police chief Pete
Arredondo has been put on administrative leave after video and reports
show his response was an "abject failure," according to Texas Department
of Public Safety director Col. Steve McCraw.

"From the beginning of this horrible event, I shared that the district
would wait until the investigation was complete before making personnel
decisions," said school district superintendent Hal Harrell on Wednesday.
"Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of
when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the
decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on
this date."

The investigation, which was supported by 911 calls and security footage,
shows Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old assailant, arrived at the school and
began shooting outside at 11:30 a.m. on May 24. Armed officers arrived on
the scene and entered the unlocked school at 11:35 a.m., but Ramos was not
killed until 12:50 p.m., more than an hour and 21 deaths later.

"The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering
Room 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander who decided to place the lives
of officers before the lives of children," McCraw said at a Texas House
committee meeting on Tuesday.

Arredondo did not believe he was at liberty to make decisions for other
officers on the scene, assuming someone else had taken on the role of
incident commander, according to an interview with the Texas Tribune.
Active shooter and incidence response protocol, developed after the 1999
shooting at Columbine High School and improved after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks, would designate the lead role to Arredondo, at least until a
higher-ranking officer from another agency arrived and took control.
Protocol stresses to confront shooters immediately, and Uvalde school
police were reminded of this at an active-shooting training in March.

"You don�t wait for a SWAT team. You have one officer, that�s enough,"
McCraw said.

Published under: shooting, Texas

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put-on-leave/