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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the college because the gunman opened fire for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't underneath an lively threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper resolution. It was a unsuitable determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what needed to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic risk, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that would let him into the college. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers have been killed.

Arredondo was not present among legislation enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly identify him.

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

Because the group calls for answers and items collectively 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 Faculty District in Laredo, Texas, about 140 miles south of Uvalde, Arredondo returned to his hometown in April 2020, when he accepted the place of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in accordance with the Uvalde Leader-News.

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

Arredondo instructed the Leader-News that he was eager to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We wish to be certain that we can be found wherever we are needed,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different 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 need,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom working. I've loads of concepts, and I undoubtedly have plenty of drive,” Arredondo told the outlet this month.

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

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