Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas shooting to affix City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly send officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council just three weeks ago after working 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 least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened fireplace for at least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't below an active menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the correct decision. It was a flawed choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a news convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be finished, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra gear and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic menace, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that will let him into the college. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen students and two lecturers were killed.

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

Arredondo did not immediately return a request for remark by NBC Information.

As the group demands answers and pieces collectively a shaky and conflicting timeline of events, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working because the police captain on the United Unbiased 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 response to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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 Chief-News that he was eager to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he could be main. 

“We wish to be certain we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo advised the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his local likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering nearly 70 % of the vote in the May 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-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 ground working. I've 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 taking pictures.

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