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 send officers into Robb Elementary School 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 Impartial School District, stopped a minimum of 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened hearth for no less than an hour.

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

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the suitable resolution. It was a fallacious determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information convention. “There have been 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 extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that will let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers were killed.

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

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

As the community demands solutions and items collectively 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 at the United Independent Faculty 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 accordance with the Uvalde Chief-News.

The former chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on prices of unlawfully carrying a gun in a bar and threatening an officer, the newspaper reported. 

Arredondo informed the Leader-News that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We need to be certain that we can be found wherever we're 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 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 these in want,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom running. I have loads of concepts, and I definitely have loads of drive,” Arredondo told 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, based in Chicago.