In a letter to the city, Mr. Arredondo said that after much consideration, “it is in the best interest of the community that he resign as a member of the City Council for District 3 to minimize further distractions.” He added that the mayor, city council and city staff “must keep moving forward to bring our community together, once again.” His resignation was first reported by The Uvalde Leader-News. Mr. Arredondo was elected to the city council shortly before a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24. On June 22, the Uvalde school police force announced it had placed Mr. Arredondo on administrative leave after the state’s top law enforcement chief called the police response “an abject failure.” Mr. Arredondo was among the first officers to arrive at the school after the shooting began. According to State Police Superintendent Steven McCraw, he was also the incident commander for the response. Although officers from multiple agencies entered the school minutes after a gunman opened fire in two connected classrooms, they waited more than an hour before confronting and killing him. Mr. Arredondo defended his decision that day and said in an interview with The Texas Tribune that he did not believe he was responsible for the response. The shooting and police response are the subject of several investigations, including one by the US Department of Justice. After Mr. Arredondo was sworn in as a council member, he did not appear at any council meetings. “I think it was the right thing to do,” Don McLaughlin, Uvalde’s mayor, said in a text message about Mr. Arredondo’s decision to resign. “We didn’t know anything about it until we saw it posted on the newspaper’s website.” On June 21, members of the city council met to discuss Mr. Arredondo’s request for a permit. One by one, Uvalde residents stood before the council and called on Mr. Arredondo to resign. First on the podium was Jazmin Cazares, 17, who lost her sister and cousin in the shooting. “After he chose to wait an hour for backup, instead of ordering officers to drop the shooter, he’s proven incapable of doing his job,” Ms. Cazares said. “How am I supposed to stop grieving, especially knowing that she did nothing to protect my sister, my cousin, her friends, and her teachers?” After more residents spoke, the Uvalde City Council voted to deny Mr. Arredondo’s request for a permit. A week later, a community still reeling from grief welcomed the news of Mr. Arredondo’s resignation. Martin Herrera, who lost a grandson and was helping a granddaughter who survived the day’s horror, called the resignation a step in the right direction. Mr. Herrera said Mr. Arredondo should also immediately leave his position as the school’s police chief. But Mr Herrera said he also wanted to see others who failed to respond face consequences. Leonard Sandoval, whose grandson Xavier Lopez was killed in the shooting, said Mr. Arredondo “should have resigned much earlier.” Hugo Cervantes, one of the residents who rushed to Robb Elementary School after hearing gunshots, said Mr. Arredondo’s decision appeared to be just another development that delayed justice for families. He recalled pleading with armed officers to go to the school and being told “everything was OK,” even though people were still hearing gunshots. “The truth is they could have saved a lot of children and they didn’t,” Mr Cervantes said. “It’s too little, too late.” J. David Goodman contributed reporting.
