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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis 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 Independent Faculty District, stopped at the least 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 menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the suitable resolution. It was a flawed choice. Interval. 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 gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic risk, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that may let him into the college. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two teachers have been killed.

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

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

Because the group calls for solutions and pieces together a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working because 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde school district, in keeping with the Uvalde Leader-News.

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

Arredondo advised 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 can be main. 

“We wish to be certain we can be found wherever we are wanted,” 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 practically 70 p.c of the vote in the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom working. I've loads of ideas, and I positively 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 shooting.

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