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

The police chief who reportedly made the call 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 running on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial School District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the college as the gunman opened fire for a minimum of an hour.

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

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the proper choice. It was a wrong determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news conference. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be performed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted extra gear and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

In line with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no energetic risk, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that would let him into the varsity. During this time, nonetheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers were killed.

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

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

Because the group calls for answers and pieces collectively a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, 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 position of chief of police for the Uvalde college district, according to the Uvalde Leader-News.

The former chief, Leo Flores, resigned after being arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying a gun in a bar and threatening an officer, the newspaper reported. 

Arredondo advised the Leader-News that he was desirous to serve the neighborhood, saying he was dedicated to establishing a strong working relationship with the three officers he could be leading. 

“We want to be sure that 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 almost 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 those in want,” the newspaper mentioned. 

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the ground running. I have loads of concepts, and I positively have plenty of drive,” Arredondo advised the outlet this month.

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

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