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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply 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 Impartial School District, stopped at least 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened hearth for not less than an hour.

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

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the correct decision. It was a incorrect resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be performed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that may let him into the school. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers had been killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst regulation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly name him.

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

As the group demands solutions and pieces together 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 at the United Unbiased 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 college district, in keeping with the Uvalde Leader-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 advised the Leader-News that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We want to make certain we are available wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo told 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 other candidates, garnering practically 70 percent of the vote within the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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 have loads of ideas, and I definitely have plenty of drive,” Arredondo told 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 Information Digital, primarily based in Chicago.