Former Uvalde cop found ‘not guilty’ over delayed police response to Robb Elementary School massacre

He spoke to reporters outside the courtroom, saying when addressed "I want to start by thanking God for this—my family, my wife and these guys—he put them in my path," he said, meaning his lawyers. "Thank you for the jury, for considering all the evidence."

"What does moving on look like to you?" He was asked.

"Picking up the pieces and moving forward," Gonzales said.

The over one-week-long trial at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, relates to Gonzales' role in the delayed police response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre, where 19 children were killed, and 10 others were wounded at the hands of 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos, who also killed two teachers. Ramos was killed at the scene.

Gonzales, 52, faces 29 felony counts of child abandonment or endangerment. If convicted, he could face up to two years in prison per count. He entered a not guilty plea.

The prosecution, led by Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell and special prosecutor Bill Turner, presented evidence over nine days, calling roughly 35 witnesses. Their case centered on allegations that Gonzales, a 10-year-veteran officer who had recently led an active shooter response training course, abandoned his training by failing to intercept or delay Ramos before the shooter entered the school and reached the classrooms. Prosecutors emphasized that Gonzales had an opportunity to immediately react during a three-minute window between the gunman's entry into the school and Gonzales' arrival, Spectrum News reported.

Key evidence presented to the jury included graphic classroom photos, body camera footage showing Gonzales entering a smoky hallway, audio recordings of gunshots, and testimony from a medical examiner detailing the fatal wounds to the children. Jurors heard emotional accounts from surviving teachers, such as Arnulfo Reyes, who described seeing the gunman enter and the dead bodies of 11 students in his class. Special prosecutor Bill Turner detailed the urgency of the situation, telling the Court, "Every second counts in an active shooter situation. Every second, more victims can die if a police officer is standing and waiting," per the outlet.

The defense, led by attorney Nico LaHood, defended Gonzales, saying he did not see the gunman before the killer entered the building. She claimed Ramos had ducked behind vehicles to avoid detection. LaHood called witnesses, including a woman who worked across the street, who testified that Ramos tried to stay out of sight. The defense argued that the sole blame should not lie on Gonzales, but rather on all of the 376 officers who responded to the massacre that day. It took over an hour for a tactical team to breach the classroom, kill Ramos, and rescue the surviving victims. Gonzales did not take the stand to testify.

The Robb Elementary School massacre occurred on May 24, 2022. The shooter, Salvador Ramos, was killed by law enforcement nearly 80 minutes after the attack began. Released surveillance and bodycam footage revealed that officers waited in and/or near the hallway for 77-minutes while gunshots were going off, killing 19 children in a 4th-grade classroom. Authorities had treated the incident like a barricaded subject, rather than an active shooter, abandoning protocols.

Gonzales is one of two officers charged in connection with law enforcement's response to the shooting.

This article was updated following the verdict.