Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to affix City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council just three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent Faculty District, stopped at least 19 officers from breaking into the college because the gunman opened hearth for at least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't underneath an energetic risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the fitting resolution. It was a improper determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more gear and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that might let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers had been killed.

Arredondo was not current among regulation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly identify him.

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for comment by NBC News.

Because the community calls for answers and items together a shaky and conflicting timeline of events, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working as the police captain on the United Independent College District in Laredo, Texas, about 140 miles south of Uvalde, Arredondo returned to his hometown in April 2020, when he accepted the position of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, based on the Uvalde Leader-Information.

The former chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying a gun in a bar and threatening an officer, the newspaper reported. 

Arredondo advised the Chief-News that he was eager to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We want to make certain we can be found wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo told the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 p.c of the vote within the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

The chief campaigned, largely door-to-door, on communication and outreach “to these in want,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom working. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have plenty of drive,” Arredondo advised the outlet this month.

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, precisely one week after the Uvalde capturing.

Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC Information Digital, based mostly in Chicago.