Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to affix City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just three weeks in the past after working on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids were not below an energetic menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the precise choice. It was a wrong decision. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that might let him into the school. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics had been killed.

Arredondo was not current among law enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly title him.

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

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

After working because the police captain at 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 faculty district, according to 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 desirous to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We want to ensure that we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo told 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 nearly 70 percent of the vote within the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the bottom running. I have plenty of ideas, and I undoubtedly 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 News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.