In a controversial verdict, former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, 52, has been cleared of all 29 child endangerment charges related to the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas. The shooting, carried out by an 18-year-old gunman, resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers, with 10 more children injured.
The nearly three-week trial was marked by high tensions as evidence of the horrific events unfolded. Gonzales’ legal team argued that he never saw the gunman before he entered the school, and that other officers had a better chance of stopping him. They also claimed Gonzales and others tried to reach the classroom but were driven back by gunfire, and that he helped evacuate children from other classrooms.
However, Special Prosecutor Bill Turner argued that Gonzales “failed to act after being aware that shots were fired, being told the general location of the gunman, having time to respond.” This sentiment was echoed by some of the victims’ family members, with Jesse Rizo, who lost his 9-year-old niece Jackie Cazares in the shooting, telling reporters, “Faith is fractured, but you never lose faith.”
The verdict has sparked outrage and disbelief among many, with tensions running high throughout the trial. Velma Duran, the sister of one of the teachers killed, was even escorted out of the courtroom after an outburst in which she said her sister “went into the fatal funnel.”
Gonzales faced up to two years in prison if convicted, but the jury ultimately determined that he was not culpable for the failures of the law enforcement response that day. The Uvalde school police chief, Pete Arredondo, is also facing child endangerment charges related to the shooting, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The acquittal of Gonzales has raised further questions about accountability and the handling of the Uvalde tragedy, leaving many in the community and beyond grappling with a profound sense of disappointment and betrayal.
