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 School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just three weeks ago after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent Faculty District, stopped a minimum of 19 officers from breaking into the college because the gunman opened fireplace for at least an hour.

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

“From the good thing about hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the correct decision. It was a improper decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a news convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be performed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that would let him into the school. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics had been killed.

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

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

Because the neighborhood calls for solutions and pieces together 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 Unbiased 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 faculty district, based on 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 eager to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We wish to be sure we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering almost 70 percent 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 these in need,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running. I've loads of ideas, and I definitely 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 capturing.

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