Trial begins for officer accused of failing to protect children during
Uvalde school shooting
[January 05, 2026]
By VALERIE GONZALEZ
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — One of the first police officers to respond
to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, goes on trial Monday on
charges that he failed to protect children during the attack, when
authorities waited more than an hour to confront the gunman.
Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde schools officer, faces 29 counts of
child abandonment or endangerment in a rare prosecution of an officer
accused of not doing more to stop a crime and protect lives.
The teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb
Elementary in one of deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Nearly 400 officers from state, local and federal law enforcement
agencies responded to the school, but 77 minutes passed from the time
authorities arrived until a tactical team breached the classroom and
killed the shooter, Salvador Ramos. An investigation later showed that
Ramos was obsessed with violence and notoriety in the months leading up
to the attack.
Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo were
among the first on the scene, and they are the only two officers to face
criminal charges over the slow response. Arredondo's trial has not yet
been scheduled.
The charges against Gonzales carry up to two years in prison if he is
convicted. The trial, which is expected to last up to three weeks,
begins with jury selection.
Gonzales pleaded not guilty. His attorney has said Gonzales tried to
save children that day.
Police and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initially said swift law enforcement
action killed Ramos and saved lives. But that version quickly unraveled
as families described begging police to go into the building and 911
calls emerged from students pleading for help.
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.
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.
According to the state review, Gonzales told investigators that once
police realized there were students still sitting in other classrooms,
he helped evacuate them.
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This booking image provided by the Uvalde County, Texas, Sheriff's
Office shows Adrian Gonzales, a former police officer for schools in
Uvalde, Texas. (Uvalde County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
Some family members of the victims have said more officers should be
indicted.
“They all waited and allowed children and teachers to die,” said
Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was one of the two
teachers who were killed.
Prosecutors will likely face a high bar to win a conviction. Juries
are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for
inaction, as seen after the Parkland, Florida, school massacre in
2018.
Sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson was charged with failing to confront
the shooter in that attack. It was the first such prosecution in the
U.S. for an on-campus shooting, and Peterson was acquitted by a jury
in 2023.
At the request of Gonzales' attorneys, the trial was moved about 200
miles (320 kilometers) southeast to Corpus Christi. They argued
Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde, and prosecutors
did not object.
Uvalde, a town of 15,000, still has several prominent reminders of
the shooting. Robb Elementary is closed but still stands, and a
memorial of 21 crosses and flower sits near the school sign. Another
memorial sits at the downtown plaza fountain, and murals depicting
several victims can still be seen on the walls of several buildings.
Jesse Rizo, whose 9-year-old niece Jackie was one of the students
killed, said even with three-hour drive to Corpus Christi, the
family would like to have someone attend the trial every day.
“It’s important that the jury see that Jackie had a big, strong
family,” Rizo said.
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Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Juan A.
Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.
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