Nearly four years after one of the deadliest school shootings in US history, a former police officer is set to stand trial for his actions during the 2022 Robb Elementary attack in Uvalde, Texas. Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde schools police officer, faces multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment for his alleged failure to confront the teenage gunman during the 77-minute delay.
A Long Wait for Accountability
The trial, which begins on Monday, represents a critical moment for the families of the 19 children and two teachers killed. For years, they have sought to hold law enforcement accountable for the prolonged wait to breach the classroom while victims lay wounded or dead. Only two of the 376 officers from various agencies on the scene have been criminally charged, a fact that continues to torment the bereaved relatives.
Jesse Rizo, whose nine-year-old niece Jackie Cazares was killed, revealed the lasting pain. He stated that Jackie still had a pulse when rescuers finally reached her. "It really bothers us a lot that maybe she could have lived," he said. The charges against Gonzales specifically reflect the dead and wounded children, but not the deaths of the two teachers, a point of anguish for families like that of Velma Lisa Duran, who lost her sister, teacher Irma Garcia.
The Charges and The Defence
An indictment alleges that Gonzales, among the first officers in the building, placed children in "imminent danger" by failing to engage, distract, or delay the gunman, Salvador Ramos, contrary to his active shooter training. It states he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and knowing the shooter's location.
His defence attorney, Nico LaHood, counters that Gonzales was focused on helping children escape. "He was focused on getting children out of that building," LaHood said. "He knows where his heart was and what he tried to do for those children." Gonzales told investigators he later helped break windows to evacuate students from other classrooms.
The trial has been moved 200 miles from Uvalde to Corpus Christi to secure an impartial jury. Prosecutors face a significant challenge, as juries have historically been reluctant to convict law enforcement for inaction, exemplified by the 2023 acquittal of Scot Peterson, a deputy charged after the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school massacre.
A Community Seeking Justice on Multiple Fronts
In Uvalde, a city of 15,000, the community remains deeply divided. The Robb Elementary building stands empty, with memorials to the 21 victims scattered across town. Craig Garnett, publisher of the Uvalde Leader-News, noted that while some have moved on, holding the trial elsewhere was prudent to avoid inflaming tensions.
Families have pursued justice through various avenues with limited success. Their push for stricter gun control laws failed, though Texas later passed the Uvalde Strong Act, mandating new active shooter training. They reached a $2 million settlement with the city for improved police standards and have pending lawsuits against law enforcement, a gun manufacturer, and social media companies.
For Velma Lisa Duran, the potential conviction of a single officer offers little solace. She also mourns her brother-in-law, Joe Garcia, who died of a heart attack two days after the shooting. "The only justice is going to be when they take their final breath," she said. "And then God will judge them." The trial of former police chief Pete Arredondo, the only other officer charged, has yet to be scheduled.
