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 School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial School District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened hearth for at the least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't under an energetic menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the right choice. It was a flawed choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that might let him into the school. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two teachers have been killed.

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

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

Because the community calls for 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 at the United Impartial College 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-Information.

The former chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on expenses 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 dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We want to be certain that we are available wherever we are needed,” Arredondo instructed 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 different candidates, garnering practically 70 percent of the vote within the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I'm able to hit the bottom running. I have loads of ideas, and I definitely have plenty of drive,” Arredondo advised 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.