Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas shooting to hitch Metropolis Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not instantly send officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply 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 Unbiased College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fireplace for at least an hour.

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

“From the good thing about hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the proper determination. It was a unsuitable decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be done, 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."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that might let him into the school. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two academics have been killed.

Arredondo was not current amongst regulation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly name him.

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

As the group calls for 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 at 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in accordance with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

The former 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 informed the Leader-Information that he was eager to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish to ensure we are available wherever we are needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering almost 70 % of the vote within 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 stated. 

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom working. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have loads of drive,” Arredondo instructed 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 News Digital, based in Chicago.