A teacher who survived the horrific 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has given chilling testimony in court, describing the moment the attack began with a "black shadow" holding a firearm entering his classroom.
Chilling Testimony from the Classroom
Arnulfo Reyes was teaching in Room 111 on 24 May 2022 when 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos entered. Reyes told the jury he saw a "black shadow" holding a gun before being shot in the arm and back. "I just saw the fire come out of the gun," he testified on Monday 12 January 2026. After he fell, Ramos shot the children in the classroom. Reyes recounted praying and giving himself to the Lord as he waited for the violence to end. Tragically, none of the pupils in his classroom survived the attack, which claimed 19 students and two teachers in total.
Trial Focuses on Police Response
The testimony came on the fifth day of the trial for former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, held in Corpus Christi, Texas. Gonzales was among the first of more than 370 officers to arrive at the scene. He has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. Prosecutors allege he failed to act on his active shooter training, neither engaging nor distracting the gunman while Ramos was outside the school. They further claim he failed again when a group of officers retreated under gunfire after briefly entering the building. It ultimately took a tactical team over an hour to enter the classroom and kill the attacker.
A Rare Legal Case
This trial represents a rare legal case where a police officer faces potential conviction for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives. Gonzales and former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo are the only two responding officers charged in connection with the delayed response. The trial has featured graphic photos, replays of emergency calls, and testimony from other teachers and victims' families. Jurors have heard how students made desperate 911 calls from inside the classroom with the gunman present.
The case continues to scrutinise the catastrophic failures in law enforcement response that day, with the prosecution's argument resting on the assertion that immediate action could have saved lives.
