Uvalde Officer Faces Trial for Inaction in School Shooting

Sat Jan 03 2026 11:10:04 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The trial of former Uvalde police officer Adrian Gonzales marks a critical moment for accountability in the wake of the tragic school shooting that left 21 dead.

As the trial of former officer Adrian Gonzales begins, families of victims from the Uvalde school shooting seek justice against police inaction during the 2022 attack. Gonzales is charged with child abandonment and endangerment, placing emphasis on the long-awaited accountability for the delay in confronting the shooter, which contributed to the deaths of students and teachers. This case underscores the broader issues concerning police response in active shooter situations, raising questions about the responsibilities of law enforcement.

Families who lost loved ones in the 2022 attack on an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, have sought for nearly four years to hold accountable the police who waited more than an hour to confront the shooter while children and teachers lay dead or wounded in classrooms.

Now one of the first officers on the scene is about to stand trial on multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales is accused of ignoring his training in a crisis with deadly consequences. His attorney insists he was focused on helping children escape from the building.

The trial that starts Monday offers potentially one of the last chances to see police answer for the long delay. The families have pinned their hopes on the jury after their gun-control efforts were rejected by lawmakers, and their lawsuits remain unresolved. A few parents ran for political office to seek change, with mixed results.

The proceedings will provide a rare example of an officer being criminally charged with not doing more to stop a crime and protect lives.

Jesse Rizo’s niece was one of 19 children and two teachers killed by the teenage gunman in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nine-year-old Jackie Cazares still had a pulse when rescuers finally reached her, Rizo said.

“It really bothers us a lot that maybe she could have lived,” he said.

“Only two of the 376 officers from local, state and federal agencies on the scene have been charged — a fact that haunts Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the teachers gunned down. Duran expressed her frustration over the delayed accountability by stating, 'Where is the justice in that? Did she not exist?'

Prosecutors will likely face a high bar to win a conviction. Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction. Gonzales was charged two years after the tragedy, which saw a critical failure in police response during a hostage situation at the Robb Elementary, where he initially retreated without engaging the shooter.

The trial has been moved from Uvalde to Corpus Christi, 200 miles away, to best find an impartial jury, as the community remains divided over the incident.