Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to affix 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 working on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids were not underneath an lively risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the right resolution. It was a flawed decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that will let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics were killed.

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

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

Because the community calls for solutions and items together a shaky and conflicting timeline of events, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working because the police captain at 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 faculty district, in keeping with the Uvalde Leader-News.

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 informed the Leader-News that he was desirous to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We wish to make certain we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering nearly 70 p.c of the vote within the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom operating. 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, precisely one week after the Uvalde taking pictures.

Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC Information Digital, primarily based in Chicago.