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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City 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 Independent School District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened hearth for a minimum of an hour.

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

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

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that would let him into the college. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers had been killed.

Arredondo was not present among regulation 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 News.

Because the neighborhood demands answers and pieces collectively 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 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 school district, in accordance with the Uvalde Leader-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 informed the Chief-Information that he was desirous to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish to ensure that we can be found wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo instructed 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 in the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the ground operating. I've plenty of concepts, and I positively have loads of drive,” Arredondo told 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 News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.