Jury seated for trial of ex-Uvalde school officer accused in slow response

Jury seated for former officer’s trial in Uvalde response case

A Texas judge on Monday seated a jury for the trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, who is charged in connection with the police response to the 2022 Robb Elementary school shooting, an AP report said. Gonzales was one of the first officers to respond to the attack, and the charges accuse him of failing to protect children from the gunman.

The indictment charges Gonzales with 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. Prosecutors allege the officer’s hesitation and lack of action placed children in imminent danger as 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary.

Gonzales, according to the AP report, pleaded not guilty. His attorney said the officer tried to save children that day.

Panel selection and what the court told jurors

Judge Sid Harle seated the panel Monday evening, choosing 12 jurors and four alternates after hundreds of people were questioned about what they knew and their impressions of the response. The judge told prospective jurors the court was not seeking people with no knowledge of the shooting, but wanted jurors who could be impartial.

The AP report said about 100 prospective jurors were dismissed after indicating they had already formed opinions. The accounts included statements from a man saying more officers should be on trial and a teacher saying she would have thrown herself in front of her students to protect them.

In the jury-selection process, Bill Turner, a special prosecutor, told potential jurors they would need to consider whether the inaction of the officer proved harmful. Turner said, “If there is a duty to act and you fail to act, that’s child endangerment.”

The judge said the trial was expected to last about two weeks.

Witnesses set for testimony

The AP report said prosecutors are expected to call FBI agents, Texas Department of Public Safety rangers, school employees, and family members of the victims.

It also described the timeline prosecutors are expected to scrutinize. Authorities waited more than an hour to confront the teenage shooter, Salvador Ramos. The report said nearly 400 officers from state, local and federal law enforcement responded to the school, but 77 minutes passed from arrival until a tactical team breached the classroom and killed the shooter.

The AP report said investigators later found Ramos was obsessed with violence and notoriety in the months before the attack.

Limited criminal cases over response

Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo were among the first on the scene and, the report said, are the only two officers to face criminal charges over the response. Arredondo’s trial has not been scheduled.

The AP report said the charges against Gonzales carry up to two years in prison if he is convicted.

Claims about police actions and the indictment’s allegations

The AP report said police and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initially described the response as swift, with the gunman killed during the action that saved lives. The report said that version unraveled as families described begging officers to go into the building and as 911 calls from students pleading for help emerged.

According to the indictment described by the AP, Gonzales placed children in “imminent danger” by failing to engage, distract or delay the shooter and by not following active shooter training. The allegations also say Gonzales did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was.

The report said a state review quoted Gonzales as telling investigators that once police realized students were still in other classrooms, he helped evacuate them.

Families and a comparison to Parkland prosecutions

The AP report said some family members have called for more officers to be indicted. Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was one of the two teachers killed, said: “They all waited and allowed children and teachers to die.”

The AP report said prosecutors likely face a high bar to win a conviction, noting juries have often been reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction. As an example, the report cited the Parkland, Florida, school massacre in 2018. It said Sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson was charged with failing to confront the shooter and was acquitted by a jury in 2023.

Trial venue moved to Corpus Christi

At the request of Gonzales’ attorneys, the AP report said the trial was moved about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast to Corpus Christi, and prosecutors did not object.

The AP report said Uvalde is a town of 15,000, and that although Robb Elementary is closed, it still stands. It said a memorial of 21 crosses and flower sits near the school sign.

Families traveling daily for the case

Jesse Rizo, whose 9-year-old niece Jackie was one of the students killed, told the AP that even with a three-hour drive to Corpus Christi, the family would like someone to attend the trial every day. Rizo said, “It’s important that the jury see that Jackie had a big, strong family.”