Trial Begins for Former Uvalde Officer Over School Shooting Response

This week marks the start of the first trial linked to the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in 2022.

The jury selection kicked off Monday at a Texas courthouse for former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzalez. This comes nearly four years after the attack on May 24, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers.

Approximately 450 potential jurors participated in the selection process, although about 100 were dismissed quickly, having already formed opinions about the case.

Special prosecutor Bill Turner urged jurors to think about whether Gonzalez’s inaction could be deemed harmful.

“If you don’t act when you have a duty to act, you’re putting children at risk,” he stated.

Some individuals excused from jury duty expressed that more officers should face charges related to the shooting. One teacher mentioned he would have sacrificed himself to protect his students.

Gonzalez is facing 29 charges of child endangerment and abandonment for his actions during the law enforcement response that day—one charge for each of the 19 children who died and for the 10 who survived from classroom 112.

Though there were 400 officers present, they took 77 minutes to respond effectively, despite knowing the shooter’s location and being trained for active shooter scenarios.

Gonzalez and Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo, the scene commander, are the only officers charged in connection with the incident.

Arredondo faces 10 felony charges for endangering survivors by delaying the police response and failing to follow protocol. His trial has been postponed indefinitely due to a legal argument concerning a key witness, and his team is requesting to move the trial outside Uvalde County.

Gonzalez’s trial was transferred from Uvalde County to Nueces County late last year.

Both men continue to assert their innocence.

If found guilty, Gonzalez could face a potential sentence of up to 58 years in prison.