In a chilling recounting of events, a school police officer in Uvalde, Texas, is under scrutiny for his actions, or lack thereof, during one of the most horrific school shootings in U.S. history. On Tuesday, a prosecutor addressed a jury, highlighting the officer’s failure to intervene as the tragedy unfolded.

Adrian Gonzales, the officer in question, was among the initial responders during the 2022 attack. Despite arriving while the teenage gunman was still outside Robb Elementary School, Gonzales allegedly remained inactive, even after a teacher identified the shooter’s whereabouts. Special prosecutor Bill Turner emphasized this point during his opening remarks in the criminal trial.

Turner pointedly remarked that Gonzales only entered the school “after the damage had been done,” underscoring the delay that might have cost lives. The prosecution’s case zeroed in on Gonzales’ actions, or the lack thereof, during those critical early moments after the shooting began and as additional officers arrived on the scene.

Interestingly, the focus of the trial remains solely on Gonzales, while the broader response by hundreds of other local, state, and federal officers, who also delayed confronting the gunman for over an hour, was not addressed in the opening statements.

Gonzales, who has pleaded not guilty, faces these rare charges for allegedly failing to act to save lives. His defense attorneys argue that the situation was chaotic and assert that he actively helped evacuate children as reinforcements arrived. This case presents a complex portrait of accountability in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

“The government makes it want to seem like he just sat there,” said defense attorney Nico LaHood. “He did what he could, with what he knew at the time.”

Gonzales, who is no longer a Uvalde schools officer, faces 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment and could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison if convicted.

“He could have stopped him, but he didn’t want to be the target,” said Velma Lisa Duran, sister of teacher Irma Garcia, who was among the 19 students and two teachers who were killed.

Duran, who arrived at the courthouse to watch the beginning of the trial, said authorities stood by more than three years ago while her sister “died protecting children.”

Students grabbed scissors to confront attacker

Defense attorneys described an officer who tried to assess where the gunman was while thinking he was being fired on without protection against a high-powered rifle.

Gonzales was among the first group to go into the building before they took fire from Ramos, the officer’s attorneys said.

“This isn’t a man waiting around. This isn’t a man failing to act,” defense attorney Jason Goss said.

Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo are the only two officers to face criminal charges over the response. Arredondo’s trial has not been scheduled.

Gonzales, a 10-year veteran of the police force, had extensive active shooter training, the special prosecutor said. “When you hear gunshots, you go to the gunfire,” Turner said.

“When a child calls 911, we have a right to expect a response,” Turner said, his voice trembling with emotion.

As Gonzales waited outside, children and teachers hid inside darkened classrooms and grabbed scissors “to confront a gunman,” Turner said. “They did as they had been trained.”

Families expected to testify

Some families of the victims were upset that more officers were not charged given that nearly 400 federal, state and local officers converged on the school soon after the attack.

Terrified students inside the classrooms called 911 and parents outside begged for intervention by officers, some of whom could hear shots being fired while they stood in a hallway. A tactical team of officers eventually went into the classroom and killed the shooter.

An investigation found 77 minutes passed from the time authorities arrived until the tactical team breached the classroom and killed Salvador Ramos, who was obsessed with violence and notoriety in the months leading up to the shooting.

The trial for Gonzales was expected to last about two weeks, Judge Sid Harle said.

Among the potential witnesses are FBI agents, Texas Rangers, emergency dispatchers, school employees and family members of the victims.

At the request of Gonzales’ attorneys, the trial was moved to Corpus Christi after they argued Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde.

Reviews found many failures with police response

State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned why officers waited so long.

The officer’s attorneys told jurors that there was plenty of blame to go around – from the lack of security at the school to police policy – and that prosecutors will try to play on their emotions by showing photos from the scene.

“What the prosecution wants you to do is get mad at Adrian. They are going to try to play on your emotions,” Goss said.

“The monster who hurt these children is dead,” he said. “He did not get this justice.”

Prosecutors likely will face a high bar to win a conviction. Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction, as seen after the Parkland, Florida, school massacre in 2018.

Sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson was charged with failing to confront the shooter in that attack. It was the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting, and Peterson was acquitted by a jury in 2023.