Uvalde City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to deny Councilman Pete Arredondo’s request for “a leave of absence from future council meetings.”
The Council received much pushback and testimony from area residents and families, urging council members not to grant the leave of absence, despite Arredondo’s written request to do so.
Arredondo, the beleaguered chief of police for Uvalde CISD, was sworn in as a councilman in a private ceremony the week after the shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 21 people dead.
He has been largely blamed by state officials for the more than hour-long delay in officers stopping the gunman.
One Uvalde resident said if the Council were to approve the leave of absence, they’d be “adding fuel to a raging fire.”
“I ask you, do the right thing and deny the leave of absence. Let Mr. Arredondo fall on his own sword,” the resident added.