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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, stopped no less than 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 underneath an lively menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the appropriate choice. It was a fallacious choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively threat, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that will let him into the varsity. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen students and two academics were killed.

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

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

As the community demands answers and items collectively a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working because the police captain at the United Independent School 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 school district, based on the Uvalde Chief-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 Chief-Information that he was desirous to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We wish to ensure we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo told the newspaper.

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

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground working. I have plenty of concepts, and I undoubtedly have plenty of drive,” Arredondo instructed the outlet this month.

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

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