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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just three weeks ago after working on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened hearth for at the least an hour.

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

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper determination. It was a unsuitable decision. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that will let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen college students and two teachers had been killed.

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

Arredondo did not instantly return a request for remark 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 because the police captain on 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in keeping with the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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 told the Leader-News that he was eager to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We wish to be sure we are available wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo told 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 other candidates, garnering almost 70 percent 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 want,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground operating. I've plenty of concepts, and I definitely have plenty of drive,” Arredondo told the outlet this month.

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

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