People in Uvalde attended a meeting of the town's City Council on Thursday to vent their frustration over the lack of new information on the school shooting that killed 21 people at Robb Elementary.
Some residents pushed for the release of police body-camera footage, while others called for the city to take action against Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo. His response to the shooting has been criticized by the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Arredondo is not an employee of the City of Uvalde, but was elected to the City Council before the shooting. He took office in the days after the shooting but has not attended any City Council meetings. Shortly after being sworn in, he requested a leave of absence from the Council. That request was denied.
"The only time I spoke to him was when he asked for an extension...to put it in writing, and I have not talked with him since," said Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin. Since the Council denied Arredondo's request, he can be removed from the Council if he misses three regularly-scheduled meetings. He has missed two regular meetings so far.
The Council can not remove Arredondo from his position with the Uvalde CISD. He has been placed on leave by the Superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.
Other residents called on the Uvalde Police Department to release body-camera video from the day of the shooting. Uvalde Police and the Texas Department of Public Safety have so far refused to release those recordings.
"We've had a number of conversations about that, and I'm hoping we're going to be able to do that. There's some laws that we have to overcome, there's some other legal procedures," said Uvalde City Manager Vince DiPiazza.
A provision in the Texas Public Information Act does allow law enforcement agencies to withhold some records if a suspect dies before being tried and convicted. Law enforcement agencies generally seek guidance from the Texas Attorney General's Office on releasing those records. The shooter in the Uvalde case died in a confrontation with law enforcement officers. State Senator Roland Gutierrez has sued the Texas Department of Public Safety for withholding his request for records.
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