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

The police chief who reportedly made the call to not immediately ship officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council just three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

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

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the kids weren't beneath an energetic threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Division of Public Security, said Friday. 

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, after all, it was not the best decision. It was a incorrect determination. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw mentioned at a news convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted 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 accordance with McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so instead of sending officers in, he hung out finding keys that may let him into the college. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to hold out the assault. Nineteen college students and two teachers were killed.

Arredondo was not current amongst regulation 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 Information.

As the neighborhood 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 on the United Impartial 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 school district, according to the Uvalde Leader-News.

The previous 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 told the Leader-News that he was desperate 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 can be found wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo told 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 different candidates, garnering almost 70 percent 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 these in need,” the newspaper stated. 

“I’m very excited, I am ready to hit the ground working. I've loads of concepts, and I positively have plenty of drive,” Arredondo instructed the outlet this month.

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

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