SAN ANTONIO – A former Uvalde CISD police officer faces trial next week on charges related to law enforcement’s response during the 2022 Robb Elementary School mass shooting.
Adrian Gonzales will face a jury in Corpus Christi on charges of abandoning or endangering a child. The trial was moved out of Uvalde County due to community impact.
According to the indictment, Gonzales allegedly failed to engage, distract or delay the 18-year-old shooter during the May 24, 2022, response to the school.
“Those precious souls were stolen by a monster that day, but that monster wasn’t Adrian (Gonzales),” defense attorney Nico LaHood told KSAT.
Gonzales’ legal team, led by LaHood, maintains Gonzales’s innocence. Defense attorneys argue that their client actively responded to the threat.
“He was there. He was present. He was going to the danger,” LaHood said. “The narrative of the government is something we’re going to contest highly, and that’s going to be the point of contention before this jury.”
Gonzales was charged alongside former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo in the case. LaHood acknowledged the emotional weight of the upcoming proceedings.
“It’s going to be emotional for a lot of people. Obviously, there’s a lot at stake here,” LaHood said. “The government with all its resources and all its power is accusing a citizen of an allegation we believe that he’s innocent of and he knows he’s innocent of.”
Jury selection begins Monday and could extend beyond one day. The trial will commence once a jury is seated.
KSAT 12 News will livestream the trial on KSAT.com, KSAT Plus and KSAT’s YouTube channel as a part of its Open Court coverage.
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