Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas capturing to join City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision not to instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply three weeks in the past after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the neighborhood. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't under an lively risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the appropriate decision. It was a incorrect choice. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There were loads of officers to do what wanted to be carried out, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively menace, so as a substitute of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that would let him into the school. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the attack. Nineteen college students and two teachers were killed.

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

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for remark by NBC Information.

Because the neighborhood calls for 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 at 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, based on the Uvalde Chief-News.

The previous 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 instructed the Chief-Information that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We wish to be certain we are available wherever we are needed,” 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 different candidates, garnering nearly 70 % of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-Information. 

The chief campaigned, largely door-to-door, on communication and outreach “to these in want,” the newspaper said. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom working. I have loads of ideas, and I undoubtedly have plenty of drive,” Arredondo told the outlet this month.

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, exactly one week after the Uvalde capturing.

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