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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to instantly send officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council just three weeks ago after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters weren't below an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the appropriate choice. It was a wrong resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what needed to be accomplished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that will let him into the college. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two academics had been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst law enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly title him.

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for comment by NBC News.

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

After working because the police captain at the United Independent 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 school district, in response to the Uvalde Chief-News.

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

Arredondo advised the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We need to make sure we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo advised the newspaper.

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

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

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

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