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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent College District, stopped not less than 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fire for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters were not below an energetic risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the correct resolution. It was a wrong determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news conference. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be performed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that would let him into the college. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the attack. Nineteen college students and two lecturers have been killed.

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

Arredondo did not immediately return a request for remark by NBC News.

As the group demands answers and items collectively 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 on the United Unbiased College 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 accordance with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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 informed the Chief-News that he was desperate to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We wish to ensure that we can be found wherever we are 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 nearly 70 % of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground operating. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely 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 taking pictures.

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