Uvalde officer acquitted on charges related to dereliction of duty

If there were ever a case where I thought the courts would force courage and bravery for a police officer, this was it.

We all saw the tapes and read the transcripts of what took place in Uvalde, TX, during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

I honestly thought the case against former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzalez was about as close to slam dunk as it could be, but I was wrong, as he was just acquitted.

The Report

The shooting took place on May 24, 2022.

A total of 21 people were killed that day, with officers in the hallway as shots were ringing out, refusing to move to neutralize the shooter.

We heard all the excuses, such as lack of equipment, and orders being given to stand down to wait for reinforcements, but it was the first time that I can ever recall where officers did not run into the fire to prevent civilians from being killed, especially when there were children involved.

Now, it is easy to be this critical from the outside, but the brutal truth is that police officers know that one day, they could be required to put their lives secondary to that of civilians, and they accept that danger as part of their jobs. I have friends and family who wore and wear the badge, and I can flat out tell you every one of them was livid over what they saw that day.

Is Cowardice a Crime?

I don’t use that word lightly because I think everyone who puts on the badge is a hero from the time that badge is first pinned to their chest.

They get the benefit of the doubt in my eyes until they prove us all wrong, and the day those 19 children died, Gonzales lost hero status, as did the many other officers who did not even so much as push back against going in (there were clearly officers who wanted to act, but were told to stand down).

He was indicted on 29 charges related to having failed to protect those children, many due to the slow reactions of the police that day. It was one count for each child who lost their life (19) and each child who was shot and injured (10).

Bill Turner, a special prosecutor in the case, told potential jurors, "If there is a duty to act and you fail to act, that's child endangerment. Both Gonzales and former Uvalde chief of police Pete Arredondo were among the first to arrive on the scene that day, and that is why they were charged.

Acquitted

As I noted in my introduction, I truly thought this was an open-and-shut case, more so for Arredondo than Gonzales, but the case was strong against both of them.

The jury, however, did not see it that way after nearly three weeks of testimony from some of the teachers who were shot and survived the mass shooting. Eventually, there were nearly 400 officers on the scene, and it still took them 77 minutes before a tactical team took charge and entered the classroom to take out the shooter.

Gonzales’ legal team argued that he took action by approaching the classroom but was driven back by rifle fire. They argued that he helped evacuate the building of the remaining children who were not trapped in the classroom where the shooter had barricaded himself.

It is never easy to convict a police officer, so I get why the jury acquitted him, but I just don’t like it. I am hoping the jury in the Arrendondo case is far less understanding. Above all others, he is the one I personally hold responsible for the delayed response and loss of life that day.