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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the neighborhood. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Unbiased College District, stopped not less than 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened hearth for a minimum of an hour.

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

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the appropriate resolution. It was a improper choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be carried out, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that will let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two lecturers have been killed.

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

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

As the group 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 because 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde faculty district, based on the Uvalde Leader-News.

The previous 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 told the Leader-Information that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We want to make sure we are available wherever we are needed,” Arredondo advised 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 other candidates, garnering nearly 70 % of the vote in the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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

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

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, exactly one week after the Uvalde capturing.

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