The Uvalde massacre at Robb Elementary School has left victims' families and the community with more questions than answers.
Not willing to answer those questions just yet is the police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, Pedro "Pete" Arredondo. Arredondo led the flawed response to the active shooter situation that resulted in the loss of 21 lives. All those involved, along with all those watching horrified from their own corners of the country, want to know the details of what went wrong in this situation.
But Arredondo says that now is not the time for these conversations. As funerals for the fallen take place, he said his lack of answers was for the good of the families. "Whenever this is done and the families quit grieving, then we'll do that obviously," he told CNN reporter Shimon Prokupecz.
Of course, the idea that anyone will stop mourning these 21 lost lives anytime soon is kind of absurd. Families will be grappling with these losses for a lifetime, just as the families of Sandy Hook Elementary continue to mourn the loss of the children killed in that tragedy, 10 years later.
Families and those following this tragic story agree that they can hardly stand to wait another minute, let alone months and years, for answers as to how this situation went so horribly wrong. Arredondo's comments are his first since the incident transpired, which is not lost on this grieving community.
While it was not time for comments on the tragedy, there was plenty of time for Arredondo to be sworn into the city council seat he was elected to earlier this month. Public comments indicated his swearing-in would be postponed as this matter took precedence, but that no longer appears to be the case. He was sworn in on May 31 in a quiet ceremony, but many felt the gesture was inappropriate, all things considered.
