Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas capturing 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 Metropolis Council simply three weeks in the past after working on a platform of communication and outreach to the neighborhood. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not under an active risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the best determination. It was a fallacious decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be achieved, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that might let him into the school. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two teachers have been killed.

Arredondo was not present among legislation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly identify him.

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

Because the neighborhood demands solutions and items together a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde faculty district, in line with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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 told the Leader-News that he was eager to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We wish to be sure we can be found wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo told the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering almost 70 p.c 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 these in need,” the newspaper stated. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground working. I've loads of ideas, and I definitely have loads of drive,” Arredondo informed the outlet this month.

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

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