Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to join Metropolis Council

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial College District, stopped not less than 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened hearth for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters were not below an lively risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the suitable decision. It was a flawed decision. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be performed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active risk, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that will let him into the school. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics had been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst regulation enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly title him.

Arredondo didn't immediately return a request for remark by NBC Information.

As the group demands solutions and pieces 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 Impartial 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 faculty district, according to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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

Arredondo told the Leader-News that he was desperate to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We want to make sure we can be found wherever we're needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering almost 70 percent of the vote in the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground running. I have plenty of concepts, 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 shooting.

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