Uvalde, Texas – Two former Uvalde school police officers have been indicted by a grand jury for their involvement in the mishandling of the response to the tragic 2022 mass shooting that took the lives of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary school. Pete Arredondo, the former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief, and Adrian Gonzales, a former school police officer, are the first to face criminal charges related to the school massacre.

Arredondo turned himself in to the Texas Rangers in Uvalde on Thursday and was booked on charges of child endangerment and criminal negligence. Despite being released on bond shortly after, the indictments against the two officers were not immediately available from the Uvalde County District Court clerk’s office. The district attorney, Christina Mitchell, confirmed that Arredondo and Gonzales are facing felony charges of abandoning and endangering a child.

Family members of the victims have been meeting with the District Attorney’s office to discuss the outcomes of the grand jury investigation that spanned several months. The findings highlighted critical failures in leadership among law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting, pointing towards missed opportunities to reassess their flawed response on that fateful day in May 2022.

In a damning report released earlier by the US Justice Department, numerous issues surrounding the response to the school shooting were identified, raising questions about the actions taken by law enforcement officials. The report criticized the delay in stopping the shooter, which resulted in one of the deadliest episodes in the ongoing tragedy of campus shootings in the United States.

The involvement of school employees, victims, and officers who responded to the shooting in testimonies before the grand jury shed light on the actions taken during the incident. Despite an independent report clearing local officers of any wrongdoing, the community remains divided on the accountability and responsibility of those involved in the tragic event.

The report also highlighted various shortcomings in the aftermath of the shooting, including the handling of students, informing parents about casualties, and providing necessary therapy services. The Justice Department’s team noted a critical tactical failure in how law enforcement initially approached the situation, deviating from established active shooter response protocols.

The families of the victims settled a lawsuit with the city for $2 million, announcing further legal action against 92 officers, the school district, and individual employees. The settlement marked a small step towards seeking justice and accountability for the lives lost in the senseless act of violence. As the community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the tragedy, questions about leadership failures and systemic flaws persist, urging authorities to address the shortcomings that led to such a devastating outcome.