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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not immediately send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply 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 Independent College District, stopped a minimum of 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened hearth for a minimum of an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't underneath an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the suitable resolution. It was a flawed resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information conference. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be carried out, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that would let him into the varsity. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers had been killed.

Arredondo was not current among legislation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly title him.

Arredondo did not immediately return a request for comment by NBC News.

As the neighborhood demands 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 at 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in accordance with the Uvalde Leader-News.

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

Arredondo told the Chief-Information that he was desirous to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We want to make sure we are available wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo told 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 practically 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 these in need,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I'm ready to hit the ground working. I've loads of ideas, and I definitely 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 shooting.

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