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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply three weeks ago after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the community. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the school as the gunman opened fireplace for not less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not underneath an energetic risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, stated Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the best resolution. It was a mistaken choice. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There have been loads of officers to do what needed to be accomplished, 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 keeping with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that might let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen college students and two teachers were killed.

Arredondo was not current amongst law enforcement officers standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly name him.

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

As the community calls for solutions and pieces 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 Impartial School 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 faculty district, based on the Uvalde Leader-Information.

The former 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 instructed the Leader-News that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We need to be sure that we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local 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 in the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground operating. I have plenty of ideas, and I undoubtedly have plenty 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.