Former Texas School Police Officer Acquitted of Child Endangerment Charges Tied to Mass Shooting
What to Know
- Adrian Gonzales was found not guilty on all 29 counts of child endangerment related to the Robb Elementary shooting response.
- The trial was moved from Uvalde to Nueces County to ensure an impartial jury, due to community impact concerns.
- Jurors deliberated for approximately seven hours before reaching the verdict, emphasizing the case's complexity.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Jurors in Nueces County on Wednesday night acquitted a former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police officer of child endangerment charges tied to the law enforcement response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
Adrian Gonzales, 52, was found not guilty on all 29 counts of child endangerment following a weekslong trial in Corpus Christi, according to KSAT-TV.
Prosecutors filed one charge for each child who was killed or injured during the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School.
The verdict marked the first criminal trial against a law enforcement officer stemming from the police response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
Gonzales spoke publicly Wednesday evening for the first time since the verdict was read.
“First thing’s first: I want to start by thanking God for this — my family, my wife and these guys right here,” Gonzales said, referring to his defense attorneys. “He put them in my path, you know? And I’m just thankful for that. Thank you for the jury for considering all the evidence and making that verdict.”
When asked by reporters if he had a message for victims’ families, Gonzales replied, “No. Not right now.”
Nico LaHood, Gonzales’ lead defense attorney, said the defense team focused on jury selection, evidence presentation, and the use of prosecution witnesses to support their case.
“We had a strategy going into voir dire to opening statements to when we were going to present evidence and how we felt we were going to use the government’s witnesses to bring out points and then wrap it up in closing,” LaHood said.
Closing arguments concluded shortly after noon Wednesday. Jurors deliberated for approximately seven hours, six minutes, and 30 seconds before returning the not guilty verdict.
The case was prosecuted by special prosecutor Bill Turner, the former district attorney in Brazos County, who was appointed by Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell. Gonzales was represented by LaHood, a former Bexar County district attorney, along with attorneys Jason Goss and Gary Hillier.
Gonzales’ trial was moved from Uvalde County to Nueces County following a defense request for a change of venue. Defense attorneys argued that the impact of the shooting on the Uvalde community made it impossible to seat an impartial jury. The venue change was confirmed in October 2025.
Gonzales is one of two former Uvalde CISD police officers charged with child endangerment in connection with the law enforcement response. Former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo has not yet gone to trial and faces 10 child endangerment charges related to the same incident.