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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council just three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

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

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

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the proper choice. It was a mistaken choice. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There have been loads 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."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that would let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen students and two lecturers had been killed.

Arredondo was not current among regulation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly title him.

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for remark by NBC Information.

Because the community demands solutions and pieces 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 on 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in response to the Uvalde Leader-News.

The former chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on prices of unlawfully carrying a gun in a bar and threatening an officer, the newspaper reported. 

Arredondo informed the Leader-Information that he was desirous to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We wish to ensure that we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo advised the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering practically 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 those in need,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground working. I've plenty of concepts, and I undoubtedly have loads of drive,” Arredondo informed 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 Information Digital, based in Chicago.