He Went In

Let me tell you what happened in court today.

The state called Texas Ranger Terry Snider. Thirty-two years in law enforcement. Crime scene expert. He processed Robb Elementary the day after the massacre. His job was simple: walk the jury through photographs of shell casings scattered in the hallways. Procedural stuff. Evidence collection 101.

Then the defense got their turn.

Nico LaHood, Adrian's attorney, walked Snider through the concept of a "fatal funnel." For those who don't know, a fatal funnel is any space where there's no cover and it's extremely dangerous to move through. A doorway. A stairwell. A hallway. The kind of place where, if someone's waiting on the other end with a weapon, you're dead before you know what happened.

Snider agreed. That hallway at Robb Elementary was a fatal funnel. Anyone who entered was putting themselves in "extreme danger." Anyone who stayed while shots were being fired was "continuing in extreme danger."

Then LaHood showed him the photographs of the southwest corner of the building. There's a fenced-in area with AC units. To get to the corner of the building for cover, you'd have to climb into that caged area.

A 32-year Texas Ranger just told this jury he would not enter that area. Too dangerous. Too exposed. No way out if things went wrong.

Then came the knockout punch.

"Are you aware that Adrian went in?"

"I'm not aware."

"Are you aware that Adrian did enter that fatal funnel?"

"I'm not aware of that."

"Were you aware that Adrian was in that funnel when there were shots fired from a hidden location into the corridor that shot one of his colleagues in the head?"

"I was not aware of that."

"After his colleague had been shot in the head, he remained in that fatal funnel?"

"I was not aware of that."

The Man They're Prosecuting

Let that sink in for a second.

The state of Texas is prosecuting Adrian Gonzales for child endangerment. The theory is that he failed to act. Failed to engage the shooter. Failed to follow his training. That's the prosecution's case: this man didn't do enough.

And the state's own tactical expert just admitted, under oath, that he didn't know Adrian entered the fatal funnel. Didn't know Adrian was there when shots were fired. Didn't know Adrian stayed after a colleague took a bullet to the head.

The expert who testified about how dangerous that corridor was, who said HE wouldn't enter that fenced area, had no idea the defendant did exactly what he himself said was too risky.

You want to talk about failure? How about the failure to know what actually happened before you charge a man with 29 felonies?

What This Means

I'm not here to tell you Adrian Gonzales is innocent. That's not my job. The jury will decide that.

But I am here to tell you what I saw today: a prosecution witness who validated everything the defense has been saying. The hallway was a death trap. Entering it was extremely dangerous. Staying in it while shots were fired was even more dangerous.

And Adrian Gonzales did all of that.

He went in. His colleague got shot. He stayed.

That's not my opinion. That's what the defense established through the state's own witness today. And the Ranger's response? "I was not aware."

If the people prosecuting this case don't know what Adrian actually did that day, how are they supposed to prove he did something wrong?

▶️ WATCH NOW He Went In. His Colleague Got Shot. He Stayed. | Gonzales Trial

Watch this testimony yourself. Watch the Ranger explain why he wouldn't enter that danger zone. Then watch his face when he learns Adrian did.

This trial is about accountability. I agree with that. Someone should be held accountable for what happened at Robb Elementary.

But maybe we should start by asking whether we're prosecuting the right person.