The First Uvalde Officer Goes on Trial

It finally happened. Three and a half years after 19 children and two teachers were slaughtered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a police officer is sitting in a courtroom answering for what happened that day.

Not the shooter. He's dead. But one of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded and waited in the hallways while children called 911 begging for help.

Adrian Gonzales was the first officer on scene. According to the prosecution's opening statement today, he arrived before the shooter even entered the building. A teacher, Melody Flores, ran toward the gunfire to protect children. When she came face-to-face with the shooter, she tripped and fell. When she got up, Gonzales was there. She told him exactly where the shooter was. She told him what he was wearing.

And according to prosecutors, he did nothing.

That phrase, "Adrien Gonzalez remains," became the drumbeat of the prosecution's opening. The shooter fired into classroom 102. Gonzales remained. Fired into classroom 104. Gonzales remained. Entered the building. Gonzales remained. Walked down the hallway. Gonzales remained. Entered rooms 111 and 112 where children sat in the dark, hiding, waiting for help that wasn't coming.

Gonzales remained.

It took 8 minutes and 45 seconds from his arrival until he finally entered the building. By then, Chief Arredondo and Sergeant Coronado had arrived and shouted "Shots fired! Get in the building!" The prosecution's point was clear: it shouldn't have taken his boss showing up to make him do his job.

The Defense Response

The defense attorney rose visibly shaken. "The monster who hurt those children is dead," he said. "I can't talk to you without emotion either. This is one of the worst things ever happened in our country."

His argument: Gonzales didn't know. The crash, the gunfire, the confusion. He never saw the shooter. He was on the opposite side of the building. By the time he understood what was happening, the killer was already inside. One minute. That's what the defense says the prosecution is asking you to judge. One minute of chaos, confusion, and incomplete information.

The defense will argue that this prosecution is about finding someone to blame because the actual monster is dead. That Gonzales is being made to answer for the failures of an entire system.

Why This Matters

This is the first criminal prosecution of a law enforcement officer for failure to act during an active shooter event in Texas history. The charges are child endangerment, 29 counts, one for each child killed or injured in those classrooms.

The legal question is genuinely difficult. The Supreme Court has said police have no constitutional duty to protect specific individuals. But Texas law may impose different obligations on school district police officers specifically hired to protect children. And the child endangerment statute doesn't require you to pull the trigger. It asks whether you placed a child in danger through your action or inaction.

The only direct precedent is the Parkland case. Deputy Scot Peterson was acquitted of all charges after he stayed outside while 17 people were killed. The jury struggled with what he should have done and whether his inaction rose to the level of criminal conduct.

But Gonzales isn't Peterson. He wasn't outside the building the whole time. He went in, eventually. He had just completed active shooter training two months earlier. He helped teach a course called "Stop the Killing: Solo Response to Active Shooter Events."

He knew what to do. The prosecution says he didn't do it.

▶️ WATCH NOW Teacher Told Officer Where Shooter Was. He Did Nothing | Uvalde Trial Opening

What We're Doing

We're covering this trial gavel to gavel. Live broadcasts. No-breaks editions. Trial podcast. Justice Breakdowns analyzing every significant moment.

This is the work my father was criminally convicted for doing. Explaining the law. Watching the system. Making sure it operates fairly for everyone involved, including the defendant.

Adrian Gonzales is entitled to a fair trial. The families of 21 victims are entitled to see the system work. Both things can be true.

I'll be watching to make sure both happen.