At a Glance
- Adrian Gonzales, 52, faces 29 counts of child endangerment for his role in the Robb Elementary massacre.
- Prosecutors say the ex-Uvalde officer ignored active-shooter protocol and never engaged the gunman.
- May 24, 2022, attack killed 19 students and two teachers while 370 officers waited over an hour outside.
- Why it matters: A conviction would mark the first U.S. jury verdict holding a cop criminally liable for failing to stop a school shooter.
The second week of Adrian Gonzales‘s criminal trial begins Monday, with prosecutors continuing to argue that the former Uvalde school police officer abandoned terrified children when he had early chances to confront the Robb Elementary gunman.
Gonzales, 52, has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment tied to the May 24, 2022, shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Prosecutors zero in on first minutes outside school
Ryan J. Thompson reported that Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive while the 18-year-old shooter, Salvador Ramos, was still outside the building. Prosecutors contend Gonzales:
- Ignored his active-shooter training
- Never fired or attempted to distract the gunman
- Retreated with other officers after briefly entering the school under fire
Special prosecutor Bill Turner told jurors: “When a child calls 911, we have a right to expect a response.” Students trapped inside the classroom made multiple emergency calls while officers waited in hallways.
Defense attorneys counter that Gonzales:
- Never saw the shooter outside
- Helped evacuate students from other classrooms
- Could not prevent Ramos from entering through an unlocked door
Mothers and teachers relive classroom terror
Jennifer Garcia testified that her 9-year-old daughter Eliahna asked to leave school early after an awards program but stayed for a pizza party. “She wanted to come home,” Garcia said, crying. “I told her, ‘No … stay at school.'” The Garcias were among the last families notified that night that their child had died.
Teacher Lynn Deming, wounded by shrapnel, described locking doors, turning out lights, and telling students: “I told them I loved them … I wanted to make sure the last thing they heard was that somebody loved them.”
Jurors viewed graphic photos showing:
- Large blood pools inside classrooms
- The deceased gunman
- Autopsy findings that several children were shot at least a dozen times
Judge tosses key eyewitness testimony
Prosecutors suffered a setback when the first teacher to testify detailed seeing a gunman dressed in black with a rifle and puffs of smoke from bullets striking the ground. Defense lawyers argued the description was new evidence never disclosed pretrial. Judge Sid Harle denied a mistrial but instructed jurors to disregard the testimony, weakening the state’s timeline placing Gonzales near the shooter.
A national first: criminal trial of a cop for inaction
The case is believed to be only the second U.S. prosecution of an officer for failing to confront a school shooter. A Florida deputy charged after the 2018 Parkland massacre was acquitted by a jury.
Gonzales and former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo are the only responders facing charges; Arredondo’s trial date has not been set. Over 370 federal, state, and local officers eventually responded, yet more than an hour passed before a tactical team killed Ramos.
What to expect this week
Court officials say the second-week docket may include:
- Police-training experts
- Additional victim-family testimony
- Possible decision by Gonzales on whether to take the stand
Conviction requires jurors to find Gonzales personally endangered the 29 named children, a legal hurdle prosecutors acknowledge is steep.
Key Takeaways
- The trial centers on one officer’s split-second choices, not the wider law-enforcement response
- Graphic evidence and emotional parent accounts have dominated the first week
- A guilty verdict would set a national precedent for holding officers criminally responsible for inaction during mass shootings
