Pete Arredondo Cites Safety Fear, Skips His Firing at Uvalde School Hearing

Embattled Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo boycotted a school board meeting where he was dismissed from his job, saying he faced threats of physical violence after his name had been unfairly tarnished.

The board of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District voted unanimously Wednesday evening to fire Arredondo as chief of the district's police department. His termination comes after months of withering criticism that his response to the May 24 elementary school shooting in the small Texas community was overly cautious and added to the death toll.

The school district has faced mounting pressure to fire Arredondo after the shooting at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers. Arredondo has been on administrative leave since June 22 and was forced into resigning from his recently won seat on the Uvalde City Council.

Public anger against Arredondo remained on display during Wednesday's special school board hearing as community members denounced the police chief and criticized the district. One student asked why law enforcement didn't protect her friends during the shooting.

"Turn in your badge and step down," the student demanded, to applause. "You don't deserve to wear one."

After the board met in closed session with legal counsel, it returned to open session to vote to terminate Arredondo's contract for "good cause" under recommendation by district Superintendent Hal Harrell. Board members offered no further explanation for the vote at the hearing.

George Hyde, Arredondo's lawyer, submitted a letter to the board earlier Wednesday, saying the chief refused to "participate in his own illegal and unconstitutional public lynching." The 17-page letter, obtained by The Texas Tribune, demanded reinstatement for Arredondo, with backpay.

While the board acknowledged Wednesday that Arredondo had requested a hearing to clear his name, the letter said that the district had improperly thrown up administrative hurdles to prevent it. The letter from Hyde also said his client refused to attend the meeting, accusing the district of not doing enough to ensure his safety in the face of credible death threats.

"Despite knowledge of legitimate risks of harm to the public and to Chief Arredondo and all others intending to be present, the district deprives the Chief of his right to lawfully carry a weapon, while at the same time, fails to disclose any alternative and reliable safety measures," reads the letter. "When viewing the actions of the district in the aggregate, the district has successfully gagged Chief Arredondo to the point that he cannot participate."

The letter accused the district of infringing upon Arredondo's constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

Surveillance footage released last month showing police lingering in the school's hallway for more than an hour while the shooter was locked in a classroom reignited community rage.

But the letter defended Arredondo's response to the shooting, saying he was reacting cautiously after realizing the shooter was capable of firing through the school's walls.

Newsweek has reached out to Hyde and the district for comment.