Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to hitch 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 City Council just three weeks in the past 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 because the gunman opened fire for not less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not under an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the proper choice. 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 finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that may let him into the school. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two teachers were killed.

Arredondo was not present among law enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly identify him.

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

As the community demands answers and items together 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 College 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 response to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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

Arredondo advised the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish to be certain that we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo told the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering practically 70 p.c of the vote in the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

The chief campaigned, largely door-to-door, on communication and outreach “to those in need,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom working. I have loads of ideas, and I positively 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 capturing.

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