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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just 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 Unbiased School District, stopped at least 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fire for at least 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 Department of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the correct choice. It was a wrong choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that may let him into the varsity. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two academics had been killed.

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

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

As the community demands 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 because the police captain at the United Independent 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 school district, in response to the Uvalde Leader-News.

The previous 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 advised the Leader-News that he was eager to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We wish to make certain we can be found wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo instructed the newspaper.

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

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the ground running. I've plenty of concepts, and I definitely have loads of drive,” Arredondo informed the outlet this month.

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, precisely one week after the Uvalde taking pictures.

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