Uvalde officials canceled a meeting scheduled for this Tuesday in which the police chief, who is criticized for his handling of the deadly shooting at a school last Tuesday, would be sworn in as a new member of the municipal council.
Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was elected to the council earlier this year. However, since he was singled out for preventing police from entering a local elementary school for more than an hour while the shooting was taking place, he has remained at home under police protection.
“Our focus on Tuesday is on our families who lost loved ones” , said Don McLaughlin, mayor of the city of Uvalde in a joint statement with the City Council on Monday, the New York Post reported.
“We will begin to bury our children tomorrow, the innocent victims of Last week’s murders at Robb Elementary School. The special City Council meeting will not take place as scheduled,” the statement added.
However, the statement suggested that Arredondo would finally be sworn in, alleging that there is no procedure so that the city prohibits him from assuming his new position.
“Pete Arredondo was duly elected to the City Council. There is nothing in the City Charter, the Election Code, or the Texas Constitution that prohibits you from taking the oath of office,” the statement said.
“To the best of our knowledge, we currently have no knowledge of any investigation into Mr. Arredondo“, specified the letter issued by the mayor and the Municipal Council.
Arredondo has been the target of criticism for allegedly ordering the police to stay outside the school for more than an hour while children and teachers asked for help from the 911 and the parents urged the authorities to enter the room where the 21 people died.
The Department of Justice announced on Sunday that it will conduct an independent investigation into the alleged delayed police response to the shooting, a request made by Mayor McLaughlin.
“The objective of the review is to provide an account independent of the actions and responses of law enforcement that day,” said Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley. “(Also sought) to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events.”
The cancellation of Tuesday’s council meeting takes place while the first two wakes for the victims of the massacre have been held.