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

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

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't underneath an active threat, 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 right decision. It was a mistaken choice. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be achieved, 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 accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that would let him into the school. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers have been killed.

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

Arredondo didn't immediately return a request for comment 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 at the United Impartial 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 faculty district, in response to the Uvalde Chief-News.

The former 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-News that he was desirous to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he would be leading. 

“We want to make sure that we are available wherever we are wanted,” 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 almost 70 p.c of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the bottom operating. I've loads of ideas, and I positively have loads of drive,” Arredondo advised 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 Information Digital, based mostly in Chicago.