Prosecutor says Gonzales did not act in early minutes
A prosecutor told a jury in Corpus Christi, Texas, that Adrian Gonzales, an officer accused in the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, stood by during the crucial, chaotic minutes before a gunman began firing inside an elementary school. Bill Turner, the special prosecutor, said Gonzales arrived at the scene of one of the deadliest school massacres in U.S. history while the teenager accused of the attack was still outside Robb Elementary.
Turner said Gonzales did not try to distract or engage the gunman, even after a teacher pointed out where the shooter was. The prosecutor told jurors that Gonzales only went inside Robb Elementary “after the damage had been done.”
Defense disputes “doing nothing,” cites actions during response
Defense attorneys disputed the accusations that Gonzales did nothing. They said Gonzales radioed for more help and evacuated children as other police arrived. Defense attorney Nico LaHood told the jury that the government was portraying Gonzales in a misleading way, saying, “The government makes it want to seem like he just sat there,” and adding, “He did what he could, with what he knew at the time.”
Prosecutors, during opening statements, focused sharply on Gonzales’ steps in the minutes after the shooting began and as the first officers arrived, without addressing in that opening the role of the hundreds of other local, state and federal officers who later converged at the school.
Charges and potential sentence
Gonzales, who is no longer a Uvalde schools officer, has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison. The case is part of a set of criminal trials stemming from the 2022 attack, and the AP report said this first trial is expected to last about two weeks.
Turner also told the jury, with emotion, “When a child calls 911, we have a right to expect a response.”
Only two officers charged; other trial not scheduled
The AP report said Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo are the only two officers to face criminal charges over the response. Arredondo’s trial has not been scheduled.
Defense attorney Jason Goss described Gonzales as acting under the circumstances facing officers, saying, “This isn’t a man waiting around. This isn’t a man failing to act.”
Families’ accounts and testimony from a teacher
Velma Lisa Duran, the sister of teacher Irma Garcia, testified from the courtroom with remarks reported by AP. Duran said Gonzales “could have stopped him, but he didn’t want to be the target,” and described watching her family’s loss unfold.
Stephanie Hale, who was teaching at Robb Elementary the day of the attack, testified about running with students from the playground to the school building and hiding in a classroom. Once inside, Hale said teachers grabbed scissors and that students hid in the dark while she crawled on her belly to reach students who were struggling to stay calm.
Hale said, “We got together and came up with a plan: To do what we had to do to defend” the children, according to the AP account. She later discovered that some children had grabbed safety scissors to mimic the teachers.
Dispute over Hale testimony and planned schedule
Other parts of Hale’s testimony led defense lawyers to complain, according to the AP report, and the judge interrupted testimony for the day. Hale said she saw a gunman wearing black approaching the school from an area near where Gonzales was, AP said. Gonzales’ attorneys argued that Hale had not disclosed that detail in previous witness interviews and that it was an important point about where the officer was located.
The judge agreed to consider arguments over Hale’s testimony until Wednesday, and the AP report said witness testimony would resume Thursday morning.
Trial moved from Uvalde; background on reviews and response
The AP report said the trial was moved to Corpus Christi after Gonzales’ attorneys argued he could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde. It also said some victim families have voiced anger that more officers were not charged, noting that nearly 400 federal, state and local officers converged on the school soon after the attack.
The AP report said state and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology and questioned why officers waited so long.
Defense attorneys told jurors they argued there was blame to go around, including for security issues and policy, and they suggested prosecutors would seek to focus emotions by showing photos from the scene. Goss told the jury, “What the prosecution wants you to do is get mad at Adrian,” and later said, “The monster who hurt these children is dead,” adding, “He did not get this justice.”