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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City 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 Unbiased Faculty District, stopped at the least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened hearth for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't below an lively threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the suitable determination. It was a unsuitable determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be accomplished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more gear and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that will let him into the varsity. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen college students and two teachers have been killed.

Arredondo was not current among regulation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly name him.

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for comment by NBC News.

As the group 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 as the police captain on the United Independent 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, according to the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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

Arredondo told the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We need to be sure that we can be found wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering practically 70 % of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground running. I've loads of concepts, and I undoubtedly have loads of drive,” Arredondo advised the outlet this month.

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, exactly one week after the Uvalde taking pictures.

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