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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not instantly send 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 community. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent Faculty District, stopped at least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened hearth for at the least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters weren't below an lively threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the precise resolution. It was a wrong decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that might let him into the varsity. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers have been killed.

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

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

As the neighborhood demands solutions and items 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 Impartial School 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 accordance with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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

Arredondo informed 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 leading. 

“We want to make sure that 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 Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering almost 70 % 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 want,” the newspaper stated. 

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

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