Uvalde Police Chief on Trial as Families Confront Failed Response

The criminal trial of a former school police chief has begun. He is the first officer to face charges for the failed law enforcement response to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. Pete Arredondo, the ex-chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police, was booked and released on bond. He faces ten felony counts of abandoning and endangering a child. Prosecutors say his actions during the crisis violated police protocol. During the shooting at Robb Elementary, nearly 400 officers waited over an hour before confronting the gunman. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed. In court, families of victims and survivors are expected to give testimony. The trial will examine command decisions made that day. It represents a rare case of a law enforcement leader being criminally charged for decisions made during an active shooting.