CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — The trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, facing charges for failing to intervene in the critical early moments of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, is heading to jurors for deliberation. Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday.
Gonzales, who pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child endangerment related to the deaths and injuries of 29 victims, was one of the first officers on the scene during the attack that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. If convicted, he could face a maximum of two years in jail.
Special prosecutor Bill Turner stressed the urgency of action in active shooter situations, highlighting the three-minute delay from Gonzales's arrival to his entry into the school. “Every second counts,” he noted, emphasizing the risk of further casualties due to inaction.
The jury heard from 36 witnesses over nine days, including harrowing testimonies from teachers recounting the moments when the gunman entered the school. The graphics presented showed the grim reality inside the classrooms during the attack.
The trial was moved to Corpus Christi due to concerns about a fair trial in Uvalde. Despite the distance, families of victims have made the journey to follow the proceedings. Emotional displays were present, including an incident where a victim’s relative was ejected from the courtroom after reacting angrily to testimony.
Gonzales’s defense argues that he did not see the gunman and his actions were appropriate under the circumstances. However, prosecutors maintain that he received training for such emergencies and should have acted differently.
With the jury now set to deliberate, this trial represents a rare instance of police accountability in the context of mass shooting responses.
