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

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

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't below an energetic menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper resolution. It was a unsuitable determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be performed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that would let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers had been killed.

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

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

As the community calls for solutions 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 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 school district, in accordance with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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

Arredondo informed the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We want to make sure we can be found wherever we are needed,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering almost 70 % of the vote in the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-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 ground working. I've loads of concepts, and I definitely have loads of drive,” Arredondo instructed 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 News Digital, based in Chicago.