UVALDE, Texas – Family members of victims of the tragic 2022 Robb Elementary shooting have shared their feelings about the acquittal of an ex-Uvalde CISD officer on child endangerment charges.
Adrian Gonzales, 52, was acquitted on 29 child endangerment charges after a two-week trial in Corpus Christi.
Families of the victims issued statements or expressed their feelings on the verdict on social media. Here is what they said:
Monica Gallegos, mother of Annabell Rodriguez
Monica Gallegos’ daughter, Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, was a fourth grader killed in the shooting. Gallegos issued a victim’s statement addressed to Gonzales.
My name is Monica Gallegos; this is my first time talking about this. It’s November 29, 2011, and my heart is full of joy as my twin girls entered the world. Annabell Guadalupe and Angeli Rodriguez.
Fast forward to May 24th, 2022, my daughter Annabell is in Robb Elementary room 111 and my Angeli is in room 112. Annabell is receiving awards for her achievements in 4th grade. Angeli did not attend school. She had a doctor’s appointment.
That day my life changed forever. That day my daughter Annabell took her last breath. That day my daughter received her last earthly award. That day my other daughter, Angeli, lost half of herself. That day my oldest daughter Annastasha lost her younger sister. That day our lives changed forever.
That day my daughter was robbed of ever celebrating another birthday, playing with her sisters, taking selfies with me, graduating high school, living out her dream of becoming a veterinarian and taking trip to Sea World and the river-two of her favorite places.
Instead, we have endless health appointments, mental health issues and suffer daily with so much pain.
My daughter Angeli lives with survivors’ guilt and has lost the desire to attend school. We live with the void in our hearts, an empty space in a bed and many memories on the walls. Angeli is ready to give up on life.
That day YOU could have saved 19 children including my cousin Jackie Cazares and their two teachers.
That day YOU could have saved my daughter.
So, for the rest of your life, I want you to remember her name, Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez.
Monica Gallegos
Veronica Mata, mother of Tess Mata
Veronica Mata, the mother of Tess Mata, shared her feelings on the ruling on social media.
She said, “Our court system was supposed to protect innocent children. Instead, it protected those who failed them.”
Family of Jackie Cazares
Members of shooting victim Jackie Cazares’ family were present for the trial’s verdict.
Javier Cazares, Jackie’s father, had been closely following the trial in Corpus Christi. “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster since Day 1,” he said.
“I’m pissed, but again, we had to prepare for the worst. I mean, we had a little hope that it was enough,” he said.
Cazares said he will be present for former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Peter Arredondo’s child endangerment trial but worries that the same outcome will occur.
Jesse Rizo, Jackie’s uncle, also expressed his disappointment outside the Nueces County Courthouse.
“The message is clear: If you’re an officer, you don’t have to do anything,” Rizo said. “You stand back and wait for the Army, for the Marines, everybody to show up. No one takes accountability.”
“Faith is fractured, but you never lose faith,” Rizo said. “You don’t lose faith because these children that are no longer with us — that are at the cemetery — they can’t speak for themselves. We speak for them. We fight till the end. As hard as it is, you know, they deserve. The teachers — Irma (Garcia), Eva (Mireles) — they had nothing on them except for valor, except for courage. And they fought till the end. They pushed back hard. They gave their lives.”
Members of Jackie’s family also shared a statement directed at Gonzales on social media that said, in part, “I have sympathy for the weight you must carry, but my sympathy does not change the truth. You failed.”
“You and your fellow officers must live with what happened, but you must understand that your pain will never compare to what Jackie endured while waiting to be saved.”
Alfred Garza, father of Amerie Jo Garza
Alfred Garza, the father of Amerie Jo Garza, posted a video on social media where he directed his comments toward public response of the outcome.
He said seeing people celebrating the verdict felt like a “slap in the face.”
He said he felt disappointed in Uvalde and the comments made by community members. “I guess you’ll never understand until you go through it. And I hope you never have to. I hope you never understand,” he said.
Hear Garza’s full comments here.
Brett Cross, guardian of Uziyah Garcia
Brett Cross, guardian of Uziyah Garcia, discussed the jury’s decision on social media.
“What Texas just told everyone was that your kids don’t matter,” he said. “They will always choose the cop over children.”
View his full comments here.
Kassandra Ramos, mother of shooting survivor AJ Martinez
Kassandra Ramos, the mother of shooting survivor AJ Martinez, said, “This was hard to watch and we are upset, but we also knew the outcome of this but we were praying for some justice for the 21 families and the survivors.”
“AJ sat next to me holding my hand and hearing ‘not guilty.’ I cried, AJ hugged me tight as I hugged him and said I’m sorry for you being let down again,” she said.
Amy Franco, Robb Elementary staffer
Amy Franco, a former Robb Elementary School staffer who took the stand during the trial, told KSAT her feelings on the decision.
“Not guilty. I’m sick to my stomach. I’m angry. I feel so betrayed, our pain just got brushed aside. This just showed the world how much our children are valued,” she said.
“Adrian Gonzales may be free, but his mind will never be.”
More coverage of the Adrian Gonzales trial on KSAT: