Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to affix Metropolis Council

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not immediately send officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply three weeks ago after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't underneath an energetic threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the suitable choice. It was a unsuitable decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a news convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what needed to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active menace, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that might let him into the varsity. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics were killed.

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

Arredondo did not immediately return a request for remark by NBC Information.

Because the community calls for 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 at the United Unbiased 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, in keeping with 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 Leader-Information that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We want to make sure that we can be found wherever we are needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering nearly 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 mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground operating. I've loads of ideas, and I definitely have loads of drive,” Arredondo advised 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, primarily based in Chicago.