In a landmark legal proceeding stemming from the tragic 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, a Texas jury has delivered a not guilty verdict for police officer Adrian Gonzales on all 29 counts of child endangerment. The decision came after approximately seven hours of deliberation on Wednesday, concluding a three-week trial that scrutinized law enforcement’s heavily criticized response to one of America’s deadliest school shootings.
The prosecution contended that Officer Gonzales, identified as among the first responders to the May 2022 incident where an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers, failed to immediately confront the attacker. Special prosecutor Bill Turner emphasized during closing arguments that decisive action during the initial moments could have altered the outcome, stating: “You can’t stand by and allow it to happen.”
Defense attorney Jason Goss countered that his client was being unfairly scapegoated for systemic failures, arguing prosecutors sought to make Gonzales “pay for the pain of that day.” This case represented an exceptionally rare instance of criminal charges being brought against a law enforcement officer for allegedly failing to protect children from harm.
The verdict arrives amid ongoing scrutiny of the delayed police response, which a comprehensive 2024 U.S. Justice Department report described as exhibiting a “lack of urgency.” The federal investigation identified “cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics, policy and training” among the nearly 400 officers who responded to the scene, with authorities taking 77 minutes to ultimately neutralize the shooter.
In 2024, victims’ families reached a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde regarding the emergency response, though this criminal trial represented a separate pursuit of accountability through the judicial system.