Former Uvalde Police Officer Acquitted of Charges Related to School Shooting
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A former police officer was acquitted Wednesday evening of charges he failed in his duties to confront the gunman at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school during the critical opening minutes of what would become one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Jurors deliberated for more than seven hours before finding former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzalez, 52, not guilty in the first trial over the hesitant law enforcement response to the attack that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022.
Flanked by his lawyers, Gonzales appeared to be fighting back tears after the verdict was read out in court.
The trial was a rare case in the U.S. of an officer facing criminal charges on accusations of failing to stop a crime and protect lives. Gonzales had faced the possibility of up to two years in prison if he had been convicted.
The Trial and Verdict
The nearly three-week trial included emotional testimony from teachers who were shot and survived. Prosecutors had argued in laying out their case that Gonzales abandoned his training and did nothing to stop or interrupt the teenage gunman before he entered the school.
At least 370 law enforcement officers ultimately rushed to the school, where 77 minutes passed before a tactical team finally entered the classroom to confront and kill the gunman. Gonzales was one of just two officers indicted, angering some victim’s families who had said they wanted more officers held accountable for the law enforcement response.
Gonzales had been charged with 29 counts of child abandonment and endangerment — each count representing the 19 students who were killed and 10 others who were injured.
Prosecution and Defense Arguments
During the trial, jurors heard a medical examiner describe the fatal wounds to the children, some of whom were shot more than a dozen times. Several parents of victims described sending their children to school for an awards ceremony and the panic that ensued as the attack unfolded.
Defense attorney Nicholas “Nico” LaHood, a former Bexar County district attorney, told jurors that prosecutors were asking them to ignore that Gonzales drove into the danger zone and never had the gunman in his line of sight, even though other police officers who weren’t charged with any crimes briefly saw the shooter at the school that morning.
LaHood also claimed prosecutors wanted the jury to ignore that some exterior and interior doors were unlocked at the school building where the victims died, which gave the gunman easier access.
Gonzales’ lawyers also argued he arrived upon a chaotic scene of rifle shots echoing on school grounds and never saw the gunman before the attacker went inside the school. They also insisted that three other officers who arrived seconds later had a better chance to stop the gunman.
Aftermath and Reaction
Gonzales and former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo are the only two responding officers that day to face charges. Arredondo’s trial has not yet been set.
“I’m sorry for what Mr. (Arnulfo) Reyes went through,” LaHood said, referring to one teacher who survived being shot and whose 11 students present were killed. “But (his classroom) door was unlocked. It should have been locked.”
Conclusion
Gonzales’ trial was tightly focused on his actions in the early moments of the attack, but prosecutors also presented the graphic and emotional testimony as the result of police failures.
State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned why officers waited so long.
Prosecutors faced a high bar to win a conviction. Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction, as seen after the Parkland, Florida, school massacre in 2018. A sheriff’s deputy was acquitted by a jury after being charged with failing to confront the shooter in that attack — the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What were the charges against Adrian Gonzalez?
A: Gonzalez was charged with 29 counts of child abandonment and endangerment.
Q: What was the outcome of the trial?
A: Gonzalez was found not guilty by the jury.
Q: How many law enforcement officers responded to the school shooting?
A: At least 370 law enforcement officers responded to the school.
Q: How long did it take for a tactical team to enter the classroom and confront the gunman?
A: It took 77 minutes for a tactical team to enter the classroom and confront the gunman.
