Uvalde police chief fired for school shooting response | First Thing

Pete Arredondo defends law enforcement response to attack that left 21 dead. Plus, Missouri school district to reinstate corporal punishment

Good morning.

The Uvalde school district in Texas has fired the police chief Pete Arredondo following the widely condemned law enforcement response to the shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

How did he respond? Arredondo did not attend the meeting where he was fired, but released a defiant 17-page letter through his lawyer defending the police response and attacking the school board. Arredondo's attorney said he was being treated as a fall guy".

What has Uvalde done since? Officials have moved to further protect school buildings against attack, with 8ft, non-scalable perimeter fencing", as well as security cameras, better locks and training for staff.