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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent Faculty District, stopped at the least 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fireplace for at the very least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters were not under an energetic threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the fitting resolution. It was a incorrect determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information conference. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be completed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more gear and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active menace, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that might let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two academics have been killed.

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

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

As the neighborhood calls for 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 because the police captain on the United Unbiased 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 college district, according to the Uvalde Leader-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 instructed the Chief-News that he was eager to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We wish to ensure that we are available wherever we are needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

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

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have loads 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 News Digital, based in Chicago.