Uvalde school police chief Pedro Arredondo is seen in first mugshot wearing orange jumpsuit in prison after being indicted over school massacre that left 21 dead

Disgraced former Uvalde School Police Chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo has been photographed in an orange jumpsuit after being charged in a school massacre that left 21 dead.

Arredondo, 64, appeared expressionless as he posed for his first police mugshot following allegations of his botched response to the massacre at Robb Elementary.

The former police chief faces 10 charges of child endangerment, which is a state prison felony, according to records released today.

A total of 21 people – 19 fourth-graders and two teachers – were killed when gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, opened fire on May 24, 2022.

Police have been criticised for their chaotic response to the massacre after it emerged that no one confronted Ramos until 77 minutes after his killing spree began.

Uvalde School District Police Chief Arredondo was responsible for the large-scale police response that day, which saw at least 380 officers from various local, state and federal agencies respond to the school.

According to the charges against him, he endangered the lives of children by not responding as he was instructed to an active shooter.

It identifies several fatal missteps, including failing to identify the threat as an active shooter even after being told a teacher had been shot and children had been injured.

The document, released Friday by the Uvalde County District Clerk, says Arredondo instead took several actions, including calling a SWAT team and issuing evacuation orders, preventing officers from confronting the gunman as he continued his killing spree.

The former police chief even failed to provide keys and breaking tools in time for officers to break into the classroom where the massacre occurred, the suit alleges.

Arredondo has admitted that he chose not to take out Ramos in order to save the lives of other children.

But the action violated his department’s active shooter protocols and left students trapped in the classroom with the shooter.

Arredondo was immediately placed on administrative leave and fired shortly thereafter.

A DOJ investigation found that failed leadership led to delays, which may have worsened the fatalities.

The report said police acted ‘without urgency’ in setting up a command centre, causing confusion over who was in charge.

Arredondo threw away his radios upon arrival, deeming them unnecessary, the report found.

A key error was believing the shooter was barricaded or restrained, as he continued to fire, killing more children and wounding an officer.

An investigation commissioned by the city of Uvalde also found that officers attempted to storm the classroom once the bulletproof shields arrived, but were stopped by their boss.

Ramos was eventually shot and killed by gunmen from the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit who bypassed other officers who had been in the hallway.

The criminal charges against the former police officer are the first in connection with the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

Arredondo checked into the Uvalde County Jail on Thursday and posted $10,000 bail.

Adrian Gonzales, a school police officer, has also been charged for his response to the incident.

He and Arredondo were among the first officers on the scene.

His attorney, Nico LaHood, told KSAT.com that he planned to turn himself over to authorities.

He added, “Mr. Gonzales’ position is that he did not violate school district policy or state law. The application of this law to law enforcement under these circumstances is unprecedented in the State of Texas. It will take time to evaluate these allegations and the underlying facts.”

Democrat Senator Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, said in a statement: “What happened in Uvalde two years ago was unthinkable. Nearly 400 officers failed to confront a teenager with an AR-15 for 77 agonizing minutes, while children and teachers suffered terror, while officers armed to the teeth huddled in the hallways and outside the building.

“The Texas Department of Public Safety’s gross incompetence and their cowardice will forever remain a stain on this tragedy. The highest law enforcement agency in the state of Texas must answer for serious errors of judgment and for lying to the public on a daily basis about how the massacre unfolded.

“From wrongfully blaming a teacher for holding a door open to laying the entire catastrophe on the shoulders of an unwitting officer, the Texas Department of Public Safety has done nothing in Uvalde but to cover up their despicable failure.

“We must get to the heart of the cover-up and get the truth out so this never happens again. Every officer who resigned that day must be held accountable, from Pete Arredondo to [state police chief] Steve McCraw. We cannot rest until we have justice.”

Gutierrez has previously expressed outrage that Arredondo and Gonzales are the only police officers charged for the negligence.

“If they’re going to charge those two officers, they should charge the 13 DPS troopers in that hallway,” Gutierrez told the San Antonio Express News. “I find that very disturbing.”

District Attorney Christina Mitchell announced in January that she had empaneled a grand jury to consider possible charges.

As part of the fact-finding mission, the twelve jurors toured the now-closed school for about an hour.

After the massacre, the entire police force was reorganized.

But Don McLaughlin Jr, who was mayor at the time of the shooting, suggested there had been a “gloss” over the role of other agencies involved on the day.