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Uvalde school police Chief Pete Arredondo stands on a dirt road on the outskirts of town on June 8, 2022.
Uvalde school shooting

Waiting for keys, unable to break down doors: Uvalde schools police chief defends delay in confronting gunman

Criticized by law enforcement experts for slowness in taking out the shooter, Pete Arredondo described an agonizing wait for a key that would work. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, he said he hadn’t spoken out sooner because he didn’t want to compound his hometown’s grief or point blame.

Students flee and authorities help others evacuate after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022.
Community members gather in prayer at the Uvalde downtown plaza following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022.

77 minutes

A woman holds her head during mass at Primera Iglesia Bautista Church in Uvalde on May 29, 2022.
Churchgoers bow their heads in prayer during mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Uvalde on May 29, 2022.
Thousands of roses, handwritten notes, hundreds of candles and dozens of stuffed animals surround a fountain in the center of the City of Uvalde Town Square on May 29, 2022.
Police block off the road leading to the scene of a school shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde.

Expert analysis

Emergency responders block off Robb Elementary School where 21 people including children were killed in a shooting on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde.

Questions over command

Hundreds wait in line holding flowers and each other to pay their respects at a memorial in front of the Robb Elementary School on Saturday evening.

“They loved those kids”

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