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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to instantly send officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just 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 as the gunman opened hearth for a minimum of an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't below an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the fitting resolution. It was a flawed resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be achieved, 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."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that might let him into the school. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics were killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst legislation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly name him.

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

As the community demands solutions 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 at the United Independent Faculty District in Laredo, Texas, about 140 miles south of Uvalde, Arredondo returned to his hometown in April 2020, when he accepted the position of chief of police for the Uvalde school district, according to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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 informed the Chief-Information that he was eager to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he would be leading. 

“We want to make sure 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 profitable bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering nearly 70 % of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom running. I have plenty of ideas, and I undoubtedly have loads 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, based mostly in Chicago.