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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just three weeks in the past after working on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Unbiased College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the college 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 underneath an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the fitting choice. It was a mistaken choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a news conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be carried out, 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."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active menace, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that would let him into the school. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed.

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

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

As 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 Independent Faculty 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 keeping with the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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

Arredondo advised the Leader-Information that he was wanting to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

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

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a profitable bid for a City 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 need,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I'm ready to hit the ground operating. I have plenty of ideas, and I definitely have loads 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 News Digital, primarily based in Chicago.