“Out of respect for the families who buried their children today, and who are planning to bury their children in the next few days, no ceremony was held,” Mayor Don McLaughlin stated in a assertion.
Although there was no formal ceremony, McLaughlin said that members of the council came to City Hall “at their comfort” during the day to be sworn in, adding that Arredondo did appear in person to receive the oath and sign paperwork.
Arredondo was elected to the council earlier this month. In his Monday statement, the mayor said Arredondo was “duly elected” and that there is “nothing in the City Charter, Election Code, or Texas Constitution that prohibits him from taking the oath of workplace. To our data, we’re at the moment not conscious of any investigation of Mr. Arredondo.”
No response to follow-up interview request
Meanwhile, the DPS said Tuesday that Arredondo has not responded to a request for a follow-up interview with the Texas Rangers, who are investigating the massacre.
The school’s police department and the Uvalde police department are “nonetheless cooperating,” but there has not been a recent response from Arredondo to a request for another interview with investigators, DPS spokesperson Travis Considine told CNN.
Arredondo has not responded to multiple requests from CNN for comment.
He has not spoken about the shooting publicly since two brief press statements on the day of the attack, in which he said the gunman was dead but provided little information on the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation and taking no questions.
On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated that he needs a full accounting of what occurred however added that he has no say in whether or not the school district’s police chief needs to be fired.
“As far as his employment standing is anxious, that is one thing that’s past my management and I’ve no data about,” the governor said, adding, “Every act of all of these officers shall be recognized and recognized and defined to the general public.”
Arredondo has nearly three decades of law enforcement experience, according to the school district.
A board of trustees for the district approved Arredondo to head the department in 2020. The district’s superintendent, Hal Harrell, said in a Facebook post at the time the board was “assured with our choice and impressed together with his expertise, data, and group involvement.”
Arredondo beforehand served as a captain at a school district police division in Laredo, Texas, and in a number of roles on the Uvalde Police Department.
CNN’s Curt Devine, Nick Watt and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.