Embattled Uvalde school police chief is free to be sworn in to council seat mayor says

The school police chief faulted for having officers stay back during a gunman's deadly siege at a campus in Uvalde, Texas, last week is free to take his elected seat on the City Council, the mayor said Monday.

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, was said to be the incident commander who ordered officers to remain outside during the more-than-hourlong siege at Robb Elementary School last week.

Despite the ultimate presence of city, state and federal law enforcement officers who presumably could have pulled rank and assumed command, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said it was Arredondo's decision alone to await more resources for what he believed was a barricaded suspect.

A SWAT-like team of agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection apparently defied the chief's order, breached a classroom area and fatally shot the suspect more than an hour after the mass shooting started.

Nineteen children and two teachers died in the gunfire 70 miles east of the port of entry at Del Rio, propelled by a semi-automatic, high-power rifle believed to be a clone of the AR-15 originally developed for use in combat.

Arredondo was elected May 7 to one of five council seats by getting 126 votes, more than two-thirds of the total in the city of more than 15,000. He was scheduled to be sworn in Tuesday, but Mayor Don McLaughlin said the event was being postponed so the city's focus can remain on survivors.

Arredondo told the Uvalde Leader-News in a story published May 12 that he was anticipating the additional role.

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running," the chief is quoted as saying. "I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have plenty of drive."

McLaughlin said in a statement Monday: "There is nothing in the City Charter, Election Code, or Texas Constitution that prohibits him from taking the oath of office. To our knowledge, we are currently not aware of any investigation of Mr. Arredondo."

Arredondo, facing questions about the wait that may have affected survival for those struck by gunfire, hasn't responded to requests for comment since he provided the news media with initial information about the tragedy May 24.

In an interview distributed to television stations nationwide Monday, the mayor indicated that he supports Arredondo and his additional role.