“Out of respect for the families who buried their children today and who plan to bury their children in the coming days, no ceremony was held,” Mayor Don McLaughlin said in a statement.
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in an attack last Tuesday. Arredondo was identified by the Texas Department of Homeland Security (DPS) as the person who decided not to break into the classroom at the school where the shooter had been hiding, but instead withdrew and waited for reinforcements. Although DPS director Steven McCraw did not identify Arredondo by his name, he said the boss made the “wrong decision” not to relate to the gunman before. The mayor originally said on Monday that the special council meeting “will not take place as planned,” he added. “Our focus on Tuesday is on our families who lost loved ones.”
Although there was no formal ceremony, McLaughlin said council members came to City Hall “at their convenience” during the day to swear in, adding that Arredondo appeared in person to receive the oath. and sign the documentation.
Arredondo was elected to the board earlier this month. In his statement Monday, the mayor said Arredondo was “duly elected” and that “there is nothing in the City Charter, Electoral Code or Texas Constitution that prohibits him from taking the oath of office. “What we know, we don’t know at the moment, of any investigation by Mr. Arredondo.”
There is no response to the follow-up interview request
Law enforcement response, and the chief’s decision not to confront the shooter, has been criticized as new details of the tragedy emerge, including terrified students who called 911 from inside the shooting range. class calling for help while officers were in the hallway. On Sunday, the Justice Department announced that it will conduct a review of law enforcement response to the shooting at the request of the mayor.
Meanwhile, the DPS said Tuesday that Arredondo has not responded to a request for a follow-up interview with the Texas Rangers, who are investigating the massacre.
The school’s police department and Uvalde’s police department are “still cooperating,” but there has been no recent response from Arredondo to a request for another interview with investigators, he told CNN DPS spokesman Travis Considine.
Arredondo has not responded to several requests for comment from CNN.
He has not spoken publicly about the shooting since two brief press statements on the day of the attack, in which he said the gunman was dead, but provided little information about the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation and doing nothing. question.
On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he wants a full account of what happened, but added that he has no say on whether the school district police chief should be fired.
“As for their employment situation, this is something that is out of my control and I am not aware of it,” the governor said, adding: “Every act of all these officials will be known, identified and explained to the public. . “
Arredondo has nearly three decades of law enforcement experience, according to the school district.
A district board of directors approved Arredondo to head the department in 2020. District superintendent Hal Harrell said in a Facebook post at the time that the board was “confident in our selection and impressed with his experience, knowledge and community involvement “. . “
Arredondo previously served as a captain in a school district police department in Laredo, Texas, and in various positions in the Uvalde Police Department.
CNN’s Curt Devine, Nick Watt and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.