CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — A Texas jury acquitted a former police officer of all criminal child-endangerment charges on Wednesday, Jan. 21, stemming from his role in the botched law enforcement response to the deadly 2022 school shooting.
On May 24, 2022, Adrian Gonzales was one of the first officers to arrive at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, after the shooter. Based on Gonzales' response to the shooting and an alleged failure to prevent the shooting and rescue victims who were killed, he faced charges of endangering 29 children.
Gonzales pleaded not guilty.
Adrian Gonzales, 52, who belonged to the Uvalde school district police force, had faced 29 counts of child endangerment for what prosecutors said was his failure to stop a gunman in the first minutes of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Gonzales pleaded not guilty.
The gunman, an 18-year-old former student at the school, was ultimately shot dead by other officers. Former Uvalde school district police Chief Pete Arredondo also faces criminal charges for his response during the shooting, though his trial has not yet begun.
