One of the two police officers criminally charged for the disastrous response to the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting was cleared on all charges Wednesday.
Adrian Gonzales, 52, was acquitted on 29 counts of child abandonment and endangerment.
The jury “talked about gaps. They talked about perspective and what the government didn’t prove about Adrian,” Gonzales’ defense attorney, Nico LaHood, told reporters afterward.
Gonzales was one of the first officers to respond to Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022, when Salvador Ramos, 18, fatally shot 19 fourth grade students and two teachers. Prosecutors argued Gonzales had a duty to confront Ramos immediately and save as many children as possible, which he did not do.
Instead, Gonzales and other cops waited 77 minutes before approaching Ramos and killing him inside a classroom. State and federal investigations said there were massive systemic problems with the police response, which led to the heart-wrenching delay.
“We’re expected to act differently when talking about a child that can’t defend themselves,” prosecutor Bill Turner said in closing arguments. “If you have a duty to act, you can’t stand by while a child is in imminent danger.”
Gonzales’ lawyers argued he was being scapegoated in the case. They said he acted reasonably given the information he had, and that three other early-arriving officers also had a chance to act but weren’t charged with crimes.
The Uvalde school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, was the only other cop charged for the delayed response. He is still awaiting trial.
