Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas shooting to hitch Metropolis Council

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial School District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fireplace for at the very least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't beneath an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the right decision. It was a incorrect choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that would let him into the college. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics were killed.

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

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

Because the group demands solutions and items together 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 College 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, in response to the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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 told the Chief-Information that he was desirous to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We wish to ensure we are available wherever we are needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering nearly 70 percent of the vote within the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the ground running. I have loads of concepts, and I undoubtedly 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 capturing.

Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based mostly in Chicago.