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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not instantly send officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Unbiased College District, stopped at least 19 officers from breaking into the school as the gunman opened hearth for at the least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters weren't beneath an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the precise resolution. It was a unsuitable decision. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be accomplished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that may let him into the school. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the attack. Nineteen students and two academics have been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst law enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly name him.

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

Because the group 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 Impartial Faculty 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-Information.

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

Arredondo instructed the Chief-Information that he was eager to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We need to be sure that we are available wherever we are needed,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a profitable bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering nearly 70 % of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground operating. I have plenty of concepts, and I undoubtedly have loads of drive,” Arredondo told 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 News Digital, based mostly in Chicago.