Families who lost loved ones in the 2022 attack on an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, have sought for nearly four years to hold accountable the police who waited more than an hour to confront the shooter while children and teachers lay dead or wounded in classrooms.
Now one of the first officers on the scene is about to stand trial on multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales is accused of ignoring his training in a crisis with deadly consequences. His attorney insists he was focused on helping children escape from the building.
The trial that starts Monday offers potentially one of the last chances to see police answer for the long delay. The families have pinned their hopes on the jury after their gun-control efforts were rejected by lawmakers, and their lawsuits remain unresolved. A few parents ran for political office to seek change, with mixed results.
The proceedings will provide a rare example of an officer being criminally charged with not doing more to stop a crime and protect lives.
Jesse Rizo’s niece was one of 19 children and two teachers killed by the teenage gunman in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nine-year-old Jackie Cazares still had a pulse when rescuers finally reached her, Rizo said.
“It really bothers us a lot that maybe she could have lived,” he said.
“Only two of the 376 officers from local, state and federal agencies on the scene have been charged," said Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the teachers gunned down. “They all waited and allowed children and teachers to die.”
The charges reflect the dead and wounded children, but not her sister’s death or that of the other teacher who was killed. “Where is the justice in that?” Duran asked. “Did she not exist?”
Uvalde has a strong tradition of supporting law enforcement. Two of the people killed came from law enforcement families. Duran wants accountability not just for her sister but also for a beloved brother-in-law who died two days after the shooting. Irma’s husband, Joe, suffered a heart attack while watching news coverage of the attack, leaving Duran devastated.
In response to community pressure, Texas lawmakers passed the Uvalde Strong Act, which sets new requirements for active shooter training and shooting response plans for police and schools, which leads many families to push for further accountability.
The trial, which has been moved to Corpus Christi, 200 miles away, sets the stage for important discussions about police conduct during mass shootings and accountability in handling emergencies.
