Former Uvalde Officer Acquitted for His Response to Shooting

A former Uvalde police officer was acquitted Wednesday of charges that he failed in his duties to confront the gunman at Robb Elementary during the critical first minutes of one of the deadliest school shootings in US history, the AP reports. Jurors deliberated for more than seven hours before finding Adrian Gonzalez, 52, not guilty in the first trial over the hesitant law enforcement response to the 2022 attack, which killed 19 children and two teachers. Gonzales appeared to close his eyes and take a deep breath as he stood to hear the verdict. Afterward he hugged one of his lawyers and appeared to be fighting back tears. Behind him in the courtroom, several members of families of the victims sat in silence, some crying or wiping away tears.

The trial was a rare case in the US of an officer facing criminal charges on accusations of failing to stop a crime and protect lives. Gonzales had faced the possibility of up to two years in prison if convicted. The nearly three-week trial included emotional testimony from teachers who were shot and survived. Prosecutors argued that Gonzales abandoned his training and did nothing to stop or interrupt the teenage gunman before he entered the school. "We're expected to act differently when talking about a child that can't defend themselves," special prosecutor Bill Turner said during closing arguments earlier Wednesday. "If you have a duty to act, you can't stand by while a child is in imminent danger."

At least 370 law enforcement officers rushed to the school, where 77 minutes passed before a tactical team finally entered the classroom to confront and kill the gunman. Gonzales was one of just two officers indicted, angering some victim's relatives who said they wanted more to be held accountable. Gonzales' lawyers said he arrived upon a chaotic scene of rifle shots echoing on school grounds and never saw the gunman before the attacker went inside the school. They also insisted that three other officers who arrived seconds later had a better chance to stop the gunman. The other officer charged, former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo, has not yet had his trial set.