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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not immediately send officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council just three weeks in the past 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 not less than 19 officers from breaking into the college because the gunman opened hearth for not less than 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 Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the fitting choice. It was a incorrect choice. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news 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 more gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that would let him into the varsity. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics have been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst legislation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly title him.

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

As the group 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 as the police captain on 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde school 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 advised the Chief-Information that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We want to ensure that we can be found wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering nearly 70 % 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 those in need,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom working. I have plenty 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, based in Chicago.