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

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary College to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis 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 Independent Faculty District, stopped no less than 19 officers from breaking into the varsity because the gunman opened fireplace for at the very least an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the youngsters were not beneath an energetic threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Safety, stated Friday. 

“From the advantage of hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the appropriate choice. It was a mistaken determination. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a information conference. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be carried out, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more gear and extra officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he frolicked finding keys that would let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed.

Arredondo was not present amongst regulation enforcement officials standing with McCraw on Friday, and McCraw didn't explicitly identify him.

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

Because the community calls for answers and pieces together 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 School 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, according to 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 advised the Chief-News that he was desperate to serve the group, saying he was committed to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We want to make sure we can be found 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 Metropolis Council seat this month. He beat out three other candidates, garnering nearly 70 p.c of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-Information. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground running. I've plenty of concepts, and I definitely have plenty of drive,” Arredondo informed 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 Information Digital, based mostly in Chicago.