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

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

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't under an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the fitting resolution. It was a unsuitable decision. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out finding keys that might let him into the college. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers have been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst regulation enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly name him.

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

Because the neighborhood 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 Impartial 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 faculty district, in keeping with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

The previous 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 instructed the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We wish to make sure we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native 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 within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

The chief campaigned, largely door-to-door, on communication and outreach “to these in want,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground operating. I have loads of concepts, and I undoubtedly have plenty of drive,” Arredondo informed 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 News Digital, based mostly in Chicago.