CORPUS CHRISTI — During the critical moments leading up to the tragic Uvalde elementary school shooting, a police officer now facing charges for his response stood by idly, failing to take action to protect the children, a prosecutor asserted in court on Tuesday.
Officer Adrian Gonzales arrived at the scene of the devastating attack while the teenage shooter was still outside the premises. Despite a teacher directing attention to the assailant’s location, Gonzales did not attempt to distract or engage him, special prosecutor Bill Turner stated during the opening remarks of the trial.
Turner emphasized that Gonzales only entered Robb Elementary School “after the damage had been done.”
Defense attorneys countered the claims, arguing that Gonzales was proactive in calling for additional assistance and facilitating the evacuation of children as other law enforcement officials arrived on the scene.
“The government wants to portray him as someone who merely sat there,” defense lawyer Nico LaHood contended. “He acted to the best of his ability, given the information he had at that moment.”
Prosecutors scrutinized Gonzales’ actions in the aftermath of the shooting and the arrival of the first responders, without addressing the larger group of nearly 400 local, state, and federal officers who waited over an hour to confront the gunman, ultimately neutralized by a tactical team.
Gonzales, who is no longer part of the Uvalde school police force, has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment, facing a maximum sentence of two years in prison if found guilty.
It is uncommon for law enforcement officers to face criminal charges for failing to take life-saving actions.
“He could have stopped him, but he didn’t want to be the target,” stated Velma Lisa Duran, sister of Irma Garcia, a teacher among the 19 students and two teachers who lost their lives in the shooting.
Duran attended the trial to witness the proceedings, expressing her belief that officials stood by while her sister “died protecting children.”
Defense lawyers depicted Gonzales as an officer attempting to ascertain the shooter’s position while believing he was under fire from a powerful rifle.
Gonzales was part of the initial group that entered the building before coming under fire from Salvador Ramos, according to his legal team.
“This is not a man who is idly waiting; he is not someone who failed to act,” defense attorney Jason Goss asserted.
Gonzales and former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo are the only two officers facing criminal charges related to their response during the incident. Arredondo’s trial has yet to be scheduled.
With a decade of experience and extensive active shooter training, Gonzales’ actions are under scrutiny. “When a child calls 911, we have a right to expect a response,” Turner expressed emotionally.
Stephanie Hale, a teacher at Robb Elementary on the day of the attack, recounted the harrowing experience of fleeing with students from the playground and hiding in a classroom.
In a desperate bid for safety, Hale and her colleagues armed themselves with scissors to defend against potential entry by the shooter. She described students huddled in darkness as she crawled to comfort those struggling to remain calm.
“We banded together to devise a plan: to do what was necessary to protect the children,” Hale said, noting that some students had also grabbed safety scissors in a show of solidarity.
However, some of Hale’s testimony prompted an immediate objection from defense attorneys, leading to a temporary halt in proceedings. She mentioned spotting a gunman in black approaching the school from the vicinity of Gonzales, a detail she had not previously disclosed during interviews.
The judge decided to review arguments regarding Hale’s testimony, with proceedings scheduled to continue on Thursday morning.
The trial, anticipated to last around two weeks, is expected to be emotionally taxing for the families of the victims, some of whom are slated to testify alongside law enforcement personnel, emergency dispatchers, and school staff.
As testimony commenced, tissues were provided to the families, with many visibly shaken as they listened to the frantic audio of initial 911 calls, which intensified the emotional atmosphere in the courtroom.
The trial was relocated to Corpus Christi after Gonzales’ legal team argued for a fair trial outside of Uvalde.
Some victim families expressed frustration over the lack of additional charges against more officers, given that nearly 400 law enforcement officials arrived at the school shortly after the shooting commenced.
Students inside the classrooms dialed 911, while parents outside pleaded for officers to intervene, with some officers able to hear gunfire while standing in the hallway.
An investigation revealed that 77 minutes elapsed from the moment authorities arrived until they breached the classroom and killed Ramos, who had become fixated on violence and notoriety in the months prior to the shooting.
State and federal reviews of the law enforcement response highlighted numerous systemic issues, including failures in training, communication, leadership, and technology, raising questions about the prolonged delay in confronting the shooter.
The defense team contended that responsibility should not rest solely on Gonzales, pointing to broader issues such as the school’s lack of security and police policy. “The prosecution aims to evoke anger towards Adrian, manipulating your emotions,” Goss claimed.
“The real monster who harmed these children is deceased,” he added. “He is not the one facing justice.”
Prosecutors may find it challenging to secure a conviction, as juries often hesitate to find law enforcement officers guilty of inaction, as witnessed in the aftermath of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, where a sheriff’s deputy was acquitted after being charged for failing to confront the shooter.
