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

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not immediately send 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 community. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Unbiased School District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened fire for not less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters were not below an lively menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the best resolution. It was a incorrect determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In response to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic risk, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he hung out finding keys that may let him into the varsity. Throughout this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics have been killed.

Arredondo was not present 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 Information.

Because the community demands answers and items 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 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 school district, in line with the Uvalde Chief-News.

The previous chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on fees of unlawfully carrying a gun in a bar and threatening an officer, the newspaper reported. 

Arredondo informed the Leader-News that he was desperate to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he would be leading. 

“We wish to be certain that we are available 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 Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering almost 70 % of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground working. I've plenty of ideas, and I definitely 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 in Chicago.