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

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

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't under an active risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the precise choice. It was a flawed determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what needed to be achieved, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out finding keys that would let him into the school. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers have been killed.

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

Arredondo didn't immediately return a request for remark by NBC Information.

As the neighborhood demands answers and pieces together 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 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 response to the Uvalde Leader-News.

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 advised the Chief-News that he was wanting to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish 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 Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 % 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 mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom operating. I've plenty of ideas, and I undoubtedly have plenty of drive,” Arredondo informed the outlet this month.

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

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