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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent Faculty District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened fireplace for not less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters weren't below an lively threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the best decision. It was a fallacious resolution. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information conference. “There were loads of officers to do what needed to be achieved, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that will let him into the school. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed.

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

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

Because the group demands solutions and pieces 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 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 response to the Uvalde Leader-News.

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

Arredondo instructed the Leader-News that he was desirous to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We want to be certain that we are available 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 different candidates, garnering practically 70 percent of the vote in the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-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 ready to hit the ground running. I have plenty of concepts, and I definitely have plenty of drive,” Arredondo informed the outlet this month.

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

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