Uvalde School Police Chief Sacrificed Shooter's Victims To Protect Kids Outside Of Classroom

The former Uvalde School police chief Pedro "Pete" Arredondo decided to focus on protecting the students in other classrooms rather than eliminating the shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, according to a new video recording.

The unreported interview obtained by CNN featured a conversation between investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety and Arredondo days after the May 2022 shooting.

In the recording, Arredondo told investigators he came to his decision after entering the school and seeing children in other classrooms.

"I know what the firepower [the shooter] had, based on what shells I saw, the holes in the wall in the room next to his. I also know I had students that were around there that weren't in the immediate threat besides the ones I know were in the immediate threat and the preservation of life around, everything around him, I felt was priority," he said.

"Because I know there's probably victims in there, and with the shots I heard, I know there's probably somebody who's going to be deceased. I know these weren't," he said of the people in the classrooms without the gunman.

Arredondo noted that he and other officers would most likely be "scrutinized" for not entering the classrooms immediately.

"Once I realized that was going on, my first thought is that we need to vacate. We have him contained – and I know this is horrible, and I know it's [what] our training tells us to do, but – we have him contained, there's probably going to be some deceased in there, but we don't need any more from out here," Arredondo explained.

Arredondo's decision deviated from active shooter protocol, which instructs officers to "isolate, distract and neutralize" the attacker.

The training also informs officers that "First responders to the active shooter scene will usually be required to place themselves in harm's way and display uncommon acts of courage to save the innocent."

Arredondo reportedly took at least three active shooter courses, including the December before the school shooting.

Arredondo was one of the first officers on the scene after the gunman entered the school through an unlocked door.

However, after Arredondo dropped his school and police radios while exiting his car, he called 911, asking for backup. "It's an emergency right now," Arredondo told the dispatcher.

"I'm inside the building with this man. He has an AR-15. He shot a whole bunch of times ... He's in one room. I need a lot of firepower, I need this building surrounded, surrounded with as many AR-15s as possible."

Although Arredondo claimed he didn't consider himself the commander of the incident, he gave officers numerous orders inside the school.

Throughout the 77-minute siege, Arredondo stood by his decision to remain outside the classroom where the shooter barricaded himself as children and teachers lay dying and wounded.

Arredondo was initially placed on leave in June 2022. He was fired in August following a vote by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.