While no trial date is set, the next status hearing is scheduled for June 12 in Uvalde County.
SAN ANTONIO — Ex Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo is slated to return to court as legal proceedings continue in the criminal case stemming from the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
In 2024, Arredondo was indicted on 10 counts of child endangerment related to his response during the shooting that ended in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. His trial has yet to begin due to ongoing legal disputes involving evidence federal authorities have not turned over.
According to the judge overseeing the case, the primary focus of the upcoming hearing will be whether the trial can move forward without testimony and records sought from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who responded to the shooting.
The hearing comes during an emotional time for many Uvalde families. Four years after the tragedy, relatives continue to seek accountability and answers.
“Around this time frame is when a lot of the children were getting buried four years ago,” said Jesse Rizo, president of the Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees and uncle of Robb victim Jackie Cazares. “It was the last time we saw them in the coffin, the last time you closed the casket, the last time you put them in the ground.”
Rizo attended the January trial of former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales, who was acquitted on all charges of child endangerment. Families are awaiting Arredondo’s day in court for his trial, a date, which has not been set.
“Things could have taken a totally different turn if he would’ve just done what he was trained to do,” Rizo said.
Both the Uvalde County District Attorney’s Office and Arredondo’s defense team have filed legal actions against CBP, seeking testimony from federal agents who were among the law enforcement personnel who responded to Robb Elementary. Attorneys on both sides argue that the evidence is critical to the trial.
The upcoming hearing is expected to determine whether federal courts are likely to issue a ruling on those requests or whether the criminal case will proceed without the testimony.
“If you don’t have all the facts, it’s hard to ask a jury to submit whether it’s a guilty or not guilty verdict, so it’s important,” Rizo said.
Despite the continued delays, Rizo said families are willing to wait if it means the case is handled correctly.
“If it requires and it takes you gathering more information and however long it takes, then get it right this time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arredondo’s defense team is continuing to push for a change of venue, arguing their client would not receive a fair trial in Uvalde County. One member of the defense team said San Antonio is among the locations being considered in an effort to secure an impartial jury.
The pretrial hearing is scheduled for Friday, June 12, at 10 a.m. in Uvalde County court.