Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to join 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 working on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Unbiased Faculty District, stopped a minimum of 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened fireplace for at the least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't beneath an active risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the fitting decision. It was a fallacious resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information 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 extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively threat, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that may let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics have been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst legislation enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly title him.

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

Because the community calls for answers and pieces collectively a shaky and conflicting timeline of events, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working as the police captain at 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, in keeping with the Uvalde Leader-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 desirous to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We need to ensure we can be found wherever we're needed,” Arredondo instructed 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 different candidates, garnering nearly 70 p.c of the vote in the Could 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'm able to hit the bottom operating. I have loads of concepts, and I positively have loads of drive,” Arredondo advised the outlet this month.

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

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