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

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

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent College District, stopped at the very least 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 children were not underneath an energetic threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the suitable resolution. It was a fallacious determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a news conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be carried out, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that may let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two teachers had been killed.

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

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

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 because the police captain on the United Independent 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 college district, according to the Uvalde Chief-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 advised the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We wish to be certain we can be found wherever we are needed,” Arredondo advised the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a profitable bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 percent of the vote in the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running. I have plenty of ideas, and I positively have plenty of drive,” Arredondo instructed the outlet this month.

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

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