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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial Faculty District, stopped a minimum of 19 officers from breaking into the school as the gunman opened fire for at the least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not under an energetic risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the suitable choice. It was a wrong decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic threat, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that will let him into the varsity. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers had been killed.

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

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

As the group demands solutions and pieces together 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 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, according to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

The previous 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 Chief-News that he was desirous to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We need to be sure we can be found wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering almost 70 p.c of the vote within the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground operating. I've loads of ideas, and I definitely have plenty 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 Information Digital, based in Chicago.