Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas shooting to hitch Metropolis Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary School 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 group. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters were not beneath an lively menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, said Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper decision. It was a unsuitable choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be accomplished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so instead of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that may let him into the college. During this time, however, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two lecturers were killed.

Arredondo was not current among legislation 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.

Because the community calls for solutions and items collectively 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 Impartial 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 school district, in accordance with the Uvalde Chief-News.

The former chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on costs 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 neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be main. 

“We wish to be sure we can be found wherever we are needed,” Arredondo informed the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 p.c 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 these in need,” the newspaper stated. 

“I’m very excited, I'm ready to hit the bottom operating. I've 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, exactly one week after the Uvalde shooting.

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