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

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply three weeks in the past after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened fire for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids were not beneath an lively menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the appropriate decision. It was a unsuitable decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be achieved, 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 keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that might let him into the college. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics had been killed.

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

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

Because the community calls for answers and items collectively 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 School 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 college district, according to the Uvalde Leader-News.

The previous 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 desperate to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

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

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering almost 70 percent of the vote in 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'm able to hit the ground operating. I have loads of concepts, and I positively have loads of drive,” Arredondo informed 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 Information Digital, based in Chicago.