A Texas judge seated a jury Monday in the trial of a former Uvalde school police officer charged with failing to protect children during the 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School that killed 19 students and two teachers. Adrian Gonzales, one of the first officers to respond to the attack, faces 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment stemming from his role in a law enforcement response that took 77 minutes to confront the gunman.

The case is among the rarest in U.S. legal history — a criminal prosecution of a law enforcement officer for inaction during a school shooting — and confronts a demanding precedent: a Florida jury acquitted a Parkland deputy on similar charges in 2023.

Jury seated after hundreds questioned

Judge Sid Harle seated the panel of 12 jurors and four alternates Monday evening in Corpus Christi, where the trial was moved at the request of Gonzales’ attorneys, who argued he could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the northwest. Prosecutors did not object to the venue change. The trial is expected to last about two weeks, the judge said.

Hundreds of prospective jurors were asked about their knowledge of the response and their impressions of what happened. About 100 were dismissed after saying they had already formed opinions. Among those dismissed, one man said more officers should be on trial.

Gonzales has pleaded not guilty. His attorney has said the officer tried to save children that day.

The prosecution’s theory

Special prosecutor Bill Turner told potential jurors they would need to consider whether the officer’s inaction proved harmful.

“If there is a duty to act and you fail to act, that’s child endangerment,” Turner said.

The indictment alleges Gonzales placed children in “imminent danger” of injury or death by failing to engage, distract, or delay the shooter and by not following his active-shooter training. The allegations also say he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was, according to the Associated Press.

Among the potential witnesses are FBI agents, Texas Department of Public Safety rangers, school employees, and family members of the victims.

77 minutes and nearly 400 officers

The 2022 attack on Robb Elementary killed 19 students and two teachers. Nearly 400 officers from state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies responded to the school, according to the AP. Despite that large response, 77 minutes passed from the time authorities arrived until a tactical team breached the classroom and killed gunman Salvador Ramos.

State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading failures in law enforcement training, communication, leadership, and technology, and questioned why officers waited so long.

Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo were among the first officers on scene and are the only two to face criminal charges over the response. Arredondo’s trial has not been scheduled. If convicted, Gonzales faces up to two years in prison.

According to the state review, Gonzales told investigators that once police realized students remained in other classrooms, he helped evacuate them.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and police officials initially said swift law enforcement action had killed Ramos and saved lives. That account quickly unraveled as families described begging officers to enter the building while 911 calls from students inside pleaded for help, according to the AP.

Prosecutors will face a demanding standard to win a conviction. Juries have historically been reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction during mass shootings.

The closest legal precedent is the Parkland case. Broward County Sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson was charged with failing to confront the gunman during the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting. A jury acquitted Peterson in 2023.

Families seeking accountability

Some family members of the Uvalde victims have said more officers should have been indicted. Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was one of the two teachers killed, said the officers failed their responsibility.

“They all waited and allowed children and teachers to die,” Duran said.

Jesse Rizo, whose 9-year-old niece Jackie was among the students killed, said his family intends to attend the proceedings in Corpus Christi despite the three-hour drive.

“It’s important that the jury see that Jackie had a big, strong family,” Rizo said.

Uvalde, a town of 15,000, retains prominent reminders of the shooting. Robb Elementary is closed but still stands. A memorial of 21 crosses and flowers sits near the school sign.