- Pete Arredondo told The Uvalde Leader-News on Friday that he is resigning from his city council position.
- The police chief has been blamed for the slow police response in the Robb elementary shooting.
- City officials said that they have not received official word of his resignation, per NBC News.
Pete Arredondo, the Texas police chief who faced backlash for the slow response to the Robb Elementary mass shooting, has resigned from his city council position, according to local news reports.
Arredondo told The Uvalde Leader-News about the decision to step down from the role on Friday. As Insider reported, he was elected weeks before the deadly May 24 shooting — that resulted in the death of 19 children and two teachers — and was sworn into office a week after the incident.
"After much consideration, I regret to inform those who voted for me that I have decided to step down as a member of the city council for District 3," Arredondo told the Uvalde Leader-News. "The mayor, the city council, and the city staff must continue to move forward without distractions. I feel this is the best decision for Uvalde."
Arredondo had been laying low from the public since the tragedy, even not showing up to his first city council meeting. He was denied a leave of absence from his city position late last month, on June 21. Arredondo was placed on administrative from the school district's police force the next day, amid calls for his termination from Uvalde families.
He has faced mass criticism after authorities said that he made the decision to wait over an hour for backup instead of confronting the gunman, who was eventually killed by US Border Patrol agents. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw slammed the police chief's response, saying his decision "decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children."
Per NBC News, Texas State Senator Ronald Gutierrez and other Uvalde city officials said that they did not receive an official resignation from Arredondo and learned about his plans via The Uvalde Leader-News.
"While it is the right thing to do, no one from the City has seen a letter or any other documentation of his resignation, or spoken with him," city officials said in a statement, per the outlet. "When the City receives confirmation of Councilman Arredondo's resignation, the City will address the Council place vacancy."