Ex-Uvalde Officer Acquitted In Robb Elementary Response Trial
A jury acquitted former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales of 29 child endangerment counts over his response to the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary shooting.
Boston GlobeFormer Uvalde officer acquitted in trial over police response to Robb Elementary attack
The GuardianFormer Uvalde officer acquitted over police response to Robb Elementary shooting
Rolling StoneFormer Uvalde Police Officer Found Not Guilty of Child Endangerment or Abandonment
CBS NewsFormer Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales acquitted of all charges over his response to the Robb Elementary shooting
Overview
A jury in Corpus Christi, Texas, acquitted former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales on Jan. 21, 2026, of all 29 child endangerment counts after about seven hours of deliberation, court records show.
The charges stem from the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers and followed a 77-minute delay before officers entered classrooms, court and official reports show.
District Attorney Christina Mitchell urged jurors to convict, saying "we cannot continue to let children die in vain," during closing arguments, court transcripts show.
A Texas House interim report found 376 federal, state and local officers responded to the attack, and Gonzales faced 29 counts carrying up to two years imprisonment per count, records show.
Former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo remains charged on 10 counts with no trial date, and prosecutors say his case is delayed by a federal lawsuit over Border Patrol interview access, court filings show.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the case around accountability failures, foregrounding prosecutors’ timelines, victims’ reactions, and graphic statistics (77 minutes, 117 rounds) while including defense claims as counterpoints. Editorial choices — choice of evocative details, prosecutorial language, and courtroom reaction — steer readers toward viewing the verdict in the context of perceived law-enforcement failure.