Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas capturing to hitch City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis 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 Unbiased Faculty District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened fire for a minimum of an hour.

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

“From the good thing about hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper determination. It was a flawed resolution. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be finished, 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 active risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out finding keys that will let him into the school. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers have been killed.

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

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for remark by NBC News.

As the neighborhood demands answers and items together a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working as the police captain on the United Impartial College 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 college district, in response to the Uvalde Chief-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 advised the Chief-Information that he was eager to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We need to be certain that we can be found wherever we're needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 % of the vote in the Could 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 ready to hit the ground working. I've plenty of concepts, 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, based mostly in Chicago.