Ex-Uvalde school police chief, officer indicted; lawyers question likelihood of conviction
UVALDE, Texas - Former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police chief Pete Arredondo and school officer Adrian Gonzales have been charged two years after the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
Arredondo was indicted on 10 counts of endangering a child.
Gonzales was indicted on 29 charges of endangering a child.
The indictment alleges that Arredondo "knowingly" and "recklessly" put the students' lives in danger on the day 19 students and two teachers were killed.
"It's rare that you see a law enforcement official indicted and successfully prosecuted for failing to discharge their duties," said Russell Wilson, a former Dallas County prosecutor.
Indictment accuses former Uvalde schools police chief of delays while shooter was 'hunting' children
An indictment alleges the police chief for schools in Uvalde, Texas, failed to identify an active shooting, did not follow his training and made critical decisions that slowed the law enforcement response to stop a gunman who was "hunting" victims.
The indictments say Arredondo "failed to identify the incident as an active shooter incident."
Hundreds of law enforcement responded, but waited more than an hour to take down the gunman.
Arredondo surrendered Thursday night. He was briefly booked into Uvalde County Jail and released.
Gonzales was arrested on Friday and released on bond.
The district attorney did not comment on the criminal cases against either former officer.
"There may be some question as to whether or not you can indict a police officer for discretionary discharge of their duties. So I would imagine that there be substantial questions regarding that," said Wilson.
Wilson pointed to the 2023 acquittal of Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson who was charged after the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
READ MORE: Florida deputy acquitted of all charges for failing to act during Parkland school shooting
Peterson was charged with multiple counts of child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury.
As the school resource officer, he was accused of not taking action while the shooting was in progress.
"The officer did have to stand trial. Certainly, he was placed in jeopardy of going to prison for a substantial amount of time. That process is rigorous. It's hard on the officer. It's hard on everybody involved. And so, I would say that this will probably be the start of a significant legal battle," Wilson said.
2 Years Later: Uvalde community remembers Robb Elementary victims
It’s been two years since 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
It's unclear if any other officers will be charged.
Wilson said the indictments details aren't clear enough for him to say if more officers will face charges.