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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial Faculty District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened fireplace for not less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not below an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, stated Friday. 

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

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that will let him into the college. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two lecturers have been killed.

Arredondo was not current amongst legislation enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly identify him.

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

Because the community demands solutions and pieces collectively 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 at 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 Leader-Information.

The former 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 informed the Leader-News that he was desirous to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We need to be certain that we can be found wherever we are needed,” 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 almost 70 p.c of the vote in the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the ground operating. I have plenty of concepts, and I undoubtedly have loads 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 shooting.

Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.