Former Uvalde School Police Officer Acquitted in Robb Elementary Shooting Case
en01.web.id – Texas, United States.
A Texas jury on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, acquitted Adrian Gonzales, a former police officer with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, of all criminal charges related to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Gonzales had been charged with 29 counts of child endangerment and child abandonment, with each count representing a victim who was killed or injured during the attack that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Prosecutors argued that Gonzales failed to take immediate action to confront the gunman, thereby endangering children trapped inside the school.
The trial focused on the law enforcement response to the shooting that occurred on May 24, 2022, when a lone gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a small city in south Texas, and opened fire inside multiple classrooms. Although officers from local, state, and federal agencies responded to the scene, the shooter was not confronted and killed until approximately 77 minutes after the first shots were fired, a delay that later drew national and international criticism.
During the proceedings, prosecutors said Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive at the school and had received active-shooter training that required immediate engagement with the suspect. They maintained that his failure to enter the building and confront the attacker constituted criminal negligence under Texas law.
Speaking after the verdict, Christina Mitchell, a prosecutor with the Texas District Attorney’s Office, said her office respected the jury’s decision despite disagreeing with the outcome. “This case was about accountability and determining whether criminal responsibility applied to the actions taken on that day,” Mitchell said. “We respect the judicial process and the jury’s verdict.”
Defense attorneys countered that Gonzales did not have clear information about the gunman’s exact location and was operating amid confusion, poor communication, and a breakdown in command structure involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Mark Stevens, Gonzales’ defense attorney, told reporters that the evidence failed to show any intentional wrongdoing. “There was no proof that Mr. Gonzales knowingly abandoned his duty or deliberately endangered children,” Stevens said.
After hearing testimony from witnesses, reviewing radio communications, and examining body-camera footage, the jury deliberated for more than seven hours before unanimously finding Gonzales not guilty on all counts. Judge Gary Alvarez, who presided over the trial, formally entered the acquittal and dismissed the charges.
Although the criminal case against Gonzales has concluded, the Uvalde school shooting remains a defining moment in the national debate over police accountability, emergency response protocols, and school safety in the United States. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has previously acknowledged failures in leadership and coordination during the response, and other administrative reviews and legal matters related to the tragedy are still ongoing.
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