Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas capturing to affix Metropolis Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary Faculty 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 College District, stopped not less than 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened hearth for at the least an hour.

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

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the correct choice. It was a fallacious determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be completed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that might let him into the college. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two lecturers had been killed.

Arredondo was not current amongst legislation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly identify him.

Arredondo did not instantly return a request for comment by NBC Information.

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

After working because the police captain at the United Unbiased 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, according to the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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

Arredondo instructed the Chief-Information that he was desperate to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We need to make sure that we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a profitable bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering almost 70 % of the vote within the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the ground operating. I have loads 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, exactly one week after the Uvalde taking pictures.

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