Peter Arredondo, the chief of police in charge of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District who reportedly mishandled the school shooting that resulted in the deaths of 21 people, will be joining the Uvalde City Council.
The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Colonel Steven McCraw, said Arredondo delayed the response of police officers until the gunman had killed 19 students and two teachers.
He added that the police chief mistakenly thought that the shooter had locked up himself in the school and that no child was in danger anymore.
“Of course, it was not the right decision,” McCraw added. “It was the wrong decision. There is no excuse for that. The incident commander at the time believed it was a barricaded subject, they had time, and there were no kids at risk.”
Arredondo won the municipal election on May 7 by winning about 70% of the total votes, long before the school shooting occurred. He is in charge of eight schools with six police officers.