Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas taking pictures to hitch City Council

The police chief who reportedly made the call not to instantly send officers into Robb Elementary School to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's City Council simply 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 Unbiased College District, stopped at least 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 were not under an energetic risk, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, stated Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight where I’m sitting now, in fact, it was not the proper determination. It was a incorrect choice. Interval. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news convention. “There have been plenty of officers to do what needed to be executed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed extra tools and more officers to do a tactical breach at the moment."

Based on McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no lively threat, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time discovering keys that may let him into the school. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two academics were killed.

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

Arredondo didn't immediately return a request for comment by NBC News.

As the neighborhood demands 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 as the police captain at 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 place of chief of police for the Uvalde faculty district, in response to the Uvalde Chief-News.

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

Arredondo instructed the Leader-News that he was desperate to serve the neighborhood, saying he was committed to establishing a robust working relationship with the three officers he would be main. 

“We wish to make certain we are available wherever we're wanted,” Arredondo advised the newspaper.

As Arredondo’s tenure hit two years, his native likability led to a successful bid for a City Council seat this month. He beat out three different candidates, garnering nearly 70 % of the vote within 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'm ready to hit the ground working. I have plenty of ideas, and I positively have loads 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.