Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to join City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply three weeks in the past after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, stopped not less than 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened fire for a minimum of an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids were not under an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper resolution. It was a incorrect determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be executed, 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 line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that might let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics were killed.

Arredondo was not current among law enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly name him.

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

As the community calls for solutions and items collectively a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working as the police captain on the United Unbiased 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 college district, in line with the Uvalde Chief-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 advised the Leader-Information that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish to be certain we can be found wherever we're needed,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 % of the vote within the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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 have plenty of concepts, and I positively have plenty of drive,” Arredondo advised 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 News Digital, based mostly in Chicago.