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 School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis 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 Unbiased College District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the school because the gunman opened fireplace for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children were not underneath an active threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the suitable decision. It was a incorrect resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw stated at a information conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what wanted to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra equipment and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic threat, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that would let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen college students and two academics have been killed.

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

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

As the group demands answers and items together 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 Independent 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 college district, in response to the Uvalde Chief-Information.

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 informed the Leader-News that he was desirous to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We need to be certain that we are available 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 City Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering practically 70 % of the vote within 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 said. 

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

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