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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not instantly send officers into Robb Elementary School 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 group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, stopped a minimum of 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened fireplace for at the very least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't underneath an lively menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the appropriate choice. It was a improper determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be achieved, 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."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that might let him into the varsity. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers had been killed.

Arredondo was not current among law enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly title him.

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

As the neighborhood calls for answers and pieces 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 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 response to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

The previous 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 informed the Chief-News that he was desirous to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he would be leading. 

“We want to make certain we can be found wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo advised the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering almost 70 % 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 those in need,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground operating. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have loads 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 Information Digital, based in Chicago.