Uvalde police chief who delayed officer response to Texas shooting to hitch 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 in the past after running on a platform of communication and outreach to the group. 

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

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

“From the advantage of hindsight the place I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the appropriate resolution. It was a flawed decision. Period. There was no excuse for that,” McCraw said at a information convention. “There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be completed, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he wanted more tools and extra officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

According to McCraw, Arredondo believed there was no active threat, so as an alternative of sending officers in, he hung out discovering keys that will let him into the college. During this time, nevertheless, the shooter had unencumbered access to carry out the assault. Nineteen students and two teachers have been killed.

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

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

Because the group demands solutions and items together a shaky and conflicting timeline of occasions, scrutiny has turned to Arredondo, who was born and raised in Uvalde. 

After working because 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 college district, in line with the Uvalde Chief-News.

The former 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 advised the Leader-Information that he was wanting to serve the community, saying he was committed to establishing a powerful working relationship with the three officers he can be leading. 

“We need to ensure that we are available wherever we are wanted,” Arredondo advised 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 different candidates, garnering nearly 70 p.c of the vote within the Could 7 election, reported the Uvalde Leader-News. 

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

“I’m very excited, I am able to hit the bottom working. I've loads of concepts, and I undoubtedly have loads of drive,” Arredondo advised the outlet this month.

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

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