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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly send officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply three weeks ago after working on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Unbiased College District, stopped at the least 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened fire for at the least an hour.

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

“From the good thing about hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper choice. It was a fallacious resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be completed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed 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 instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that would let him into the school. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers have been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst law enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly name him.

Arredondo didn't immediately return a request for remark by NBC Information.

As the community demands answers and pieces 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 on 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde school district, in line with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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-Information that he was desperate to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We want to make certain we are available wherever we are 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 in the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the bottom running. I have plenty of ideas, and I positively have plenty of drive,” Arredondo told 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 News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.