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

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

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't under an lively risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the best resolution. It was a mistaken determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic threat, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that would let him into the varsity. During 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 present among law enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly name him.

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

Because the neighborhood demands answers and pieces together a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working as the police captain on 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in response to the Uvalde Leader-Information.

The former 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 informed the Chief-Information that he was eager to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We want to be sure that we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

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

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

“I’m very excited, I'm ready to hit the ground running. I have plenty of ideas, 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 capturing.

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