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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary Faculty 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 because the gunman opened fireplace for at the least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not under an lively threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the correct resolution. It was a mistaken resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be finished, 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 menace, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that may let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics were killed.

Arredondo was not current 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.

As the community demands solutions and items collectively 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 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 school district, in line with the Uvalde Leader-News.

The previous 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 advised the Leader-News that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We wish to make certain we can be found wherever we are needed,” Arredondo told 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 almost 70 p.c of the vote in the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm ready to hit the ground running. I've plenty of concepts, 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 News Digital, based mostly in Chicago.