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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council just three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the neighborhood. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids were not under an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the proper resolution. It was a flawed decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be completed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked discovering keys that may let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to hold out the assault. Nineteen college students and two lecturers had been killed.

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

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

Because the neighborhood demands answers and pieces collectively 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 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, according to the Uvalde Leader-News.

The previous 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-Information that he was eager to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We need to ensure that we can be found wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo told 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 nearly 70 percent of the vote in the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom 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 News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.