CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – After more than seven hours of deliberation, a Nueces County jury found former Uvalde CISD officer Adrian Gonzales not guilty on all 29 counts of child endangerment related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
Each count represented one of the 19 students and 10 others injured during the tragic attack that claimed the lives of 19 fourth-graders and two teachers.
For Gonzales and his family, the verdict brought a sense of relief. Speaking briefly alongside his attorneys, Gonzales thanked God, his family, and his legal team.
I want to start by thanking God for this, my family, my wife, and these guys right here Thank you to the jury for considering all the evidence and making that verdict,” he said.
When asked if he wanted to address the families of the victims, Gonzales declined.
For the families of the victims, the verdict was a bitter moment of frustration, grief, and anger.
We’ve been failed again. It’s going to keep on happening if things don’t change. I mean, I’m angry, I’m sad,” said one family member.
Another family member expressed disbelief over what the verdict says about law enforcement accountability: “I respect the jury’s decision, you know, but it just raises the question of what messages we’re sending that an officer can stand idle while children are being killed. Is that the message?”
This is the second U.S. case in which a school police officer has been acquitted after facing charges for their response during a mass shooting, the first being in Parkland, Florida.
Closing arguments
Closing arguments concluded just after noon Wednesday, drawing the nearly three-week trial to a close. Gonzales faced 29 counts of child endangerment for his role during the initial response to the Robb Elementary shooting, in which a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.
The trial shone a spotlight on law enforcement’s duty to protect children during emergencies and the intense scrutiny officers face when their actions are questioned.
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The defense framed Gonzales as a scapegoat for broader law enforcement failures that day.
The power of the state has decided that he has to pay for the failures of that day,” defense attorney Jason Goss said. “The person they plucked out to put in that chair was acting, he was trying.
The defense maintained that three other officers who arrived moments later had a better opportunity to confront the shooter and that Gonzales acted as he could under chaotic circumstances.
Adrian Gonzales is accused of abandoning or endangering children during the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary that killed 19 students and two teachers. (SBG San Antonio)
Prosecutors emphasized the serious implications of the jury’s decision, highlighting that officers have a duty to intervene when children are in imminent danger.
Special prosecutor Bill Turner stated, “If you have a duty to act, you can’t stand by while a child is in imminent danger.” District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee implored jurors to hold officers accountable: “We cannot let 19 children die in vain.”
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The prosecution presented evidence that Gonzales was aware shots were being fired and knew the general location of the gunman, yet did not act to confront him. Turner urged the jury to consider that the officer “failed to act after being aware that shots were fired, being told the general location of the gunman, having time to respond.”
Jurors talked about ‘gaps’ in case, lawyer says
Jurors deliberated for more than seven hours before finding Gonzales, 52, not guilty. Each charge carried a potential sentence of up to two years. Gonzales, one of the first officers to respond to the attack that killed 19 students and two teachers, appeared to fight back tears and hugged his attorneys in Corpus Christi, where his team argued a fair trial would be possible.
Adrian Gonzales is accused of abandoning or endangering children during the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary that killed 19 students and two teachers. (SBG San Antonio)
“Faith is fractured, but you never lose faith,” said Jesse Rizo, whose 9-year-old niece Jackie Cazares was killed. He said he was frustrated by the verdict and hopes the state will press ahead with the trial of former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo, the only other officer who has been charged over the police response.
“Those children in the cemetery can’t speak for themselves,” Rizo said.
Jurors declined to speak to reporters while leaving.
Arredondo’s trial has not been scheduled. His attorney, Paul Looney, said the Gonzales verdict could lead prosecutors to drop the case against his client, adding, “These people have been vilified, and it’s horrible what’s been done to them. These guys didn’t do anything wrong.”
A rare trial ends in acquittal
The nearly three-week trial was highly unusual in the U.S., as it involved an officer being criminally charged for failing to stop a mass shooting. The proceedings included graphic testimony from teachers who were injured, Texas Rangers, hospital staff, and active shooter training experts. Prosecutors argued Gonzales abandoned his duty while the shooter entered classrooms where children were trapped.
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At least 370 law enforcement officers responded to Robb Elementary, yet 77 minutes passed before a tactical team finally confronted the gunman. Families, teachers, and survivors recounted the terror, describing panicked calls to 911, pleas from parents outside, and chaos inside classrooms.
We’re expected to act differently when talking about a child that can’t defend themselves,” special prosecutor Bill Turner said during closing arguments Wednesday. “If you have a duty to act, you can’t stand by while a child is in imminent danger.
The defense contended that Gonzales faced an overwhelming and chaotic scene, and that he acted appropriately given the circumstances.
He was the lowest man on the totem pole. They thought he was easy pickings,” said attorney Nico LaHood. “They talked about gaps. They talked about perspective and what the government didn’t prove about Adrian.
Some victims’ families traveled long distances to attend the trial.
Early in the proceedings, the sister of one of the teachers killed was removed from the courtroom following an emotional outburst. The trial was tightly focused on Gonzales’ actions in the early moments of the shooting, though prosecutors used the testimonies to illustrate the larger failures of law enforcement that day.
A photo shows the gunman entering Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting. (SBG San Antonio)
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.
Despite this, the jury acquitted Gonzales, reflecting the challenge of securing convictions against law enforcement officers for inaction—a difficulty also seen in the Parkland school shooting case.
Looney, representing Arredondo, said his client deserves a full trial. “Pete Arredondo deserves and needs a complete airing and public vindication. I hope he gets that chance,” he said.