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

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to immediately send officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City 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 Impartial College District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fire for at least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't underneath an lively menace, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, said Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the correct decision. It was a incorrect decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a news convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what wanted to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out finding 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 academics had been killed.

Arredondo was not current among law enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw did not explicitly identify him.

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

As the community calls for answers and items together 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 at the United Unbiased Faculty 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 faculty district, based on the Uvalde Leader-Information.

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 eager to serve the community, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We need to ensure we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo instructed 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 p.c of the vote in 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 said. 

“I’m very excited, I'm ready to hit the ground working. I have plenty of ideas, and I positively have plenty 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 taking pictures.

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