The Uvalde school district has canceled a special school board meeting to consider firing embattled police Chief Pete Arredondo, according to an announcement from the district on Friday.
The decision to cancel came at the request of Arredondo's attorney, and the meeting will be rescheduled to a later date, according to a spokesperson from Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District. In the meanwhile, he will continue to be on unpaid administrative leave.
Uvalde's superintendent placed Arredondo on administrative leave late last month, but said he didn't want to make any permanent decisions until investigations were completed.
Saturday's now-canceled meeting was set to come less than two weeks after the release of security camera footage from inside Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting. In that 77-minute long video, released first by two Texas news outlets, some officers can be seen entering the building just minutes after the gunman entered. They immediately approached the classroom before retreating back toward the school entrance after the shooter opened fire.
According to a Texas House Committee report released Sunday, 376 law enforcement officers responded to the shooting. Officers inside the building waited more than an hour to engage the shooter. The report revealed a slew of "systematic failures” outlining missteps made by both the district and law enforcement, which led to the recommendation for Arredondo’s termination.
Arredondo, the commander on scene, was responsible for stopping officers from entering the classroom sooner, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Arredondo originally said he believed the door to the classroom was locked, but according to DPS, that does not appear to be true.
