Texas school shooting: Uvalde school board fires police chief

According to reports, the Uvalde school district has fired police chief Pete Arrendondo over the Robb Elementary School shooting in which twenty-one people were killed including two teachers.

Texas lawmakers had earlier slammed the response of the police in the Uvalde shooting incident as the state police including border guards and elite forces responded to the attack. The police were criticised for their alleged slow response and "void" in leadership as the gunmen began shooting at school students on May 24.

The reports said some victims could have survived if the police hadn't waited for "73 additional minutes for rescue". The Uvalde school district’s board of trustees fired police chief Pete Arrendondo in an auditorium full of victims' parents. Arredondo did not attend the meeting.

The former police chief was sent on leave on June 22 amid investigations into the incident.

US state's House of Representatives in a preliminary report said law enforcement officers "failed to prioritise saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety". The victim's family were distraught after the school massacre and cried out for justice after reports said over 370 officers were sent to the spot as the gunman opened fire.

Steve McCraw, Texas's public safety chief had said the police response was an "abject failure" while directing his focus on police chief Pete Arredondo. The Texas lawmakers while blaming Arredondo said the police chief "did not assume responsibility for the incident command" and committed "analytical errors" while adding that law enforcement showed a "lackadaisical approach" describing the scene of the shooting as "chaotic" with nobody incharge of directing law enforcement response.

(With inputs from Agencies)