Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to affix Metropolis Council

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not instantly send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply three weeks in the past after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent College District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the school as the gunman opened fireplace for not less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters weren't beneath an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the fitting choice. It was a improper determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be completed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that might let him into the school. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers were killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst law enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly identify him.

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

Because the community calls for answers and items 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 Independent College 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 faculty district, in line with 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 Leader-News that he was desperate to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We need to be sure that we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering almost 70 percent 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 those in need,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the bottom running. I've plenty of concepts, and I positively have plenty 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 Information Digital, based mostly in Chicago.