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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly ship 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 neighborhood. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened hearth for at least 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 Safety, said Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the proper decision. It was a incorrect resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be completed, 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 active risk, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that would let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers had been killed.

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

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

As the community demands solutions and pieces together a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working because 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 college district, in keeping with the Uvalde Chief-News.

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

“We need to make certain 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 Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 p.c 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 these in want,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground operating. I've plenty of concepts, and I undoubtedly have loads 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 taking pictures.

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