A teacher who survived the 2022 shooting inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, testified Monday that the attack began with a black shadow holding a gun entering his classroom. Arnulfo Reyes, who was shot in the arm and back during the incident, recounted praying for the attack to end while witnessing the horror unfold around him.
Reyes's testimony took place on the fifth day of the trial for Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde school police officer facing 29 counts of child abandonment and endangerment. Prosecutors allege Gonzales failed to intervene during the initial moments of the shooting, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed.
I looked at my door and that’s when I saw him... a black shadow. The black shadow was holding a gun. I just saw the fire come out of the gun,” Reyes stated about the moment the shooter, Salvador Ramos, entered the classroom. Reyes then described how Ramos shot at him and subsequently turned to fire upon his students.
He revealed that after being struck, he fell to the ground and continued to pray, saying, I gave myself to the Lord... and waited for everything to be over. None of the children in Reyes' room survived the attack.
Just before Reyes took the stand, the court presented surveillance footage from the incident, prompting emotional reactions from those present. The trial focuses on Gonzales's actions or lack thereof during the shooting; more than an hour passed before law enforcement engaged the shooter inside the school.
Numerous testimonies and evidence, including graphic images and recordings of the unfolding tragedy, have marked the trial. It highlights the unprecedented scenario of potentially holding law enforcement accountable for inaction during a mass shooting.
Gonzales is one of two officers facing charges related to the shooting, alongside former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who has yet to face trial.
