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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary School 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 neighborhood. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids were not under an energetic risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the best decision. It was a incorrect decision. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that might let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two academics have been killed.

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

Arredondo didn't immediately return a request for remark by NBC News.

Because 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 because the police captain at the United Unbiased School 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, based on the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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

Arredondo advised the Leader-News that he was desirous to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he would be leading. 

“We want to ensure that we can be found wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo advised 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 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 these in need,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running. I have plenty of concepts, and I undoubtedly have plenty of drive,” Arredondo instructed 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 News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.