Wednesday, Dr. Hal Harell, superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, stated that the district had placed Pete Arredondo on administrative leave.

According to a news statement issued Wednesday by the school system, Harell stated “From the beginning of this horrible event, I shared that the district would wait until the investigation was complete before making personnel decisions,”

“Today, I am still without details of the investigations being conducted by various agencies.”

“Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date,” stated Harell.

Lieutenant Mike Hernandez will serve as interim police chief of the school system during Lieutenant Arredondo’s administrative absence.

“We will continue to seek qualified candidates to join our police department as we prepare for the new school year,” Harell stated .

The school district did not provide further details on Arredondo or the action taken against him in the Wednesday news release. “There will be no further information released regarding this personnel matter,” Harell finished.

More on this story via The Western Journal:

UCISD communications director Anne Marie Espinoza did not confirm if Arredondo’s leave was paid or unpaid, the Texas Tribune reported.

Arredondo’s lawyer did not respond to the Texas Tribune’s request for comment.

The police chief received criticism for his handling of the May 24 mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School, which saw the deaths of 19 children and two adults. Arredondo was accused of delaying the police response to the shooter by more than an hour. Read more…