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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary Faculty 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 group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial Faculty District, stopped not less than 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened hearth for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't under an lively risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the precise resolution. It was a improper decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that would let him into the school. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers have been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst regulation enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly identify him.

Arredondo did not immediately return a request for comment by NBC News.

Because the neighborhood calls for answers and pieces 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 Impartial 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 school district, in accordance with the Uvalde Chief-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-Information that he was eager to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he would be leading. 

“We wish to be sure we are available wherever we're 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 different candidates, garnering almost 70 p.c of the vote in the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground working. I've loads of ideas, and I positively have loads of drive,” Arredondo informed the outlet this month.

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, precisely one week after the Uvalde shooting.

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