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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply three weeks in the past after working on a platform of communication and outreach to the neighborhood. 

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

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

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the proper resolution. It was a flawed choice. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be accomplished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic risk, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out finding keys that would let him into the college. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics have been killed.

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

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

As the neighborhood demands 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 as the police captain on 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, according to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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 informed the Leader-Information that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish to make certain we can be found wherever we're needed,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

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

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom operating. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have loads 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 taking pictures.

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