Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas shooting to affix Metropolis Council

The police chief who reportedly made the decision to not instantly ship officers into Robb Elementary Faculty to confront a gunman was elected to Uvalde's Metropolis Council simply three weeks ago after operating on a platform of communication and outreach to the neighborhood. 

Peter Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Impartial Faculty District, stopped at the very least 19 officers from breaking into the varsity as the gunman opened hearth for no less than an hour.

Arredondo believed that the shooter had barricaded himself and that the children weren't underneath an energetic threat, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Security, mentioned Friday. 

“From the good thing about hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the proper choice. It was a wrong resolution. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a news convention. “There have been loads of officers to do what wanted to be carried out, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more gear and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so instead of sending officers in, he spent time finding keys that might let him into the college. Throughout this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered entry to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two lecturers were killed.

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

Arredondo didn't instantly return a request for comment by NBC Information.

As the neighborhood calls for answers and items collectively 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 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 school district, in response to the Uvalde Chief-News.

The former 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 told the Chief-News that he was eager to serve the group, saying he was dedicated to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We need to be sure that we are available wherever we're needed,” Arredondo told 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 percent of the vote within the Might 7 election, reported the Uvalde Chief-News. 

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 running. I've plenty of ideas, and I positively have plenty of drive,” Arredondo told the outlet this month.

Arredondo is scheduled to be sworn onto the council on Tuesday, exactly one week after the Uvalde taking pictures.

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