A jury on Wednesday acquitted former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police officer Adrian Gonzales, 52, on all 29 felony counts of child endangerment related to his actions during the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.
Gonzales, who was among the first officers to respond to the attack, faced charges that he failed to confront the gunman promptly and endangered lives by not acting. The jury deliberated for more than seven hours before returning a “not guilty” verdict on all counts.
Prosecutors had argued that Gonzales neglected his duty during the chaotic response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Defense attorneys countered that Gonzales was unfairly singled out for broader law enforcement failures and that he acted under difficult and confusing circumstances.
The trial, moved to Corpus Christi to help ensure an impartial jury, was one of the rare instances in which a law enforcement officer faced criminal prosecution for perceived inaction during a mass shooting. A conviction could have carried significant penalties.
Defense attorney Jason Goss explained to jurors that prosecutors aimed to blame Gonzales for the errors made by all police officers during the shooting.
“They have decided he has to pay for the pain of that day and it’s not right,” Goss said in closing arguments.
Gonzales was one of the first among more than 400 law enforcement officers to arrive at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022. However, police waited 77 minutes before entering the classroom where the gunman was barricaded.
The gunman, who was a former student at the school, was ultimately shot and killed by police.
Gonzales faced accusations for failing to immediately confront the shooter after arriving at Robb Elementary in his patrol car in response to reports of an active shooter situation.
“You can’t stand by and allow it to happen,” Special Prosecutor Bill Turner told the jury during closing arguments.
Families of some victims showed visible emotion as the verdict was read, reflecting ongoing grief and differing views on accountability for the law enforcement response that day.
Javier Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jackie was killed, said he feels failed again.
“We had a little hope, but it wasn’t enough,” Cazares said outside court. “Again, we are failed. I don’t even know what to say.”
Cazares said he was hopeful that the jury might have reached a different conclusion, but “prepared for the worst.”
“I need to keep composed for my daughter. It has been an emotional rollercoaster since day one. I am pissed,” he said.
Jackie’s uncle, Jesse Rizo, expressed concern about the verdict’s message to police officers responding to future mass shootings.
“I respect the jury’s decision, but what message does it send?” he said. “If you’re an officer, you can simply stand by, stand down, stand idle, and not do anything and wait for everybody to be executed, killed, slaughtered, massacred.”
Jackie’s aunt, Julissa Rizo, challenged the defense’s claim that Gonzales acted to the best of his ability, telling ABC News, “That’s not true.”
“There were two monsters on May 24. One was the shooter, and the other one was the one that never went in, that could have avoided this,” she said.
Goss, the defense attorney, disagreed. “The evidence showed that not only did he not fail, but he put himself in great danger,” he said.
Defense attorney Nico LaHood said he will continue to pray for the victims’ families.
“We understand that their separation from their loved one is going to be felt as long as they walk on this earth, and we don’t ignore that. We acknowledge that,” he said. “We’re just going to continue to pray for them.”
Another former Uvalde officer, former school police chief Pete Arredondo, also faces charges in connection with the response but has not yet been tried.