2 months ago
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- One of the archetypal constabulary officers to respond to the 2022 schoolhouse shooting successful Uvalde, Texas, goes connected proceedings Monday connected charges that helium failed to support children during the attack, erstwhile authorities waited much than an hr to face the gunman.
Adrian Gonzales, a erstwhile Uvalde schools officer, faces 29 counts of kid abandonment oregon endangerment successful a uncommon prosecution of an serviceman accused of not doing much to halt a transgression and support lives.
The teenage gunman killed 19 students and 2 teachers astatine Robb Elementary successful 1 of deadliest schoolhouse shootings successful U.S. history.
Nearly 400 officers from state, section and national instrumentality enforcement agencies responded to the school, but 77 minutes passed from the clip authorities arrived until a tactical squad breached the schoolroom and killed the shooter, Salvador Ramos. An probe aboriginal showed that Ramos was obsessed with unit and notoriety successful the months starring up to the attack.
Gonzales and erstwhile Uvalde schools constabulary main Pete Arredondo were among the archetypal connected the scene, and they are the lone 2 officers to look transgression charges implicit the dilatory response. Arredondo's proceedings has not yet been scheduled.
The charges against Gonzales transportation up to 2 years successful situation if helium is convicted. The trial, which is expected to past up to 3 weeks, begins with assemblage selection.
Former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District constabulary serviceman Adrian Gonzales arrives astatine the Uvalde County Courthouse, Thursday, July 25, 2024, successful Uvalde, Texas.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Gonzales pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has said Gonzales tried to prevention children that day.
Police and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initially said swift instrumentality enforcement enactment killed Ramos and saved lives. But that mentation rapidly unraveled arsenic families described begging constabulary to spell into the gathering and 911 calls emerged from students pleading for help.
The indictment alleges Gonzales placed children successful "imminent danger" of wounded oregon decease by failing to engage, distract oregon hold the shooter and by not pursuing his progressive shooter training. The allegations besides accidental helium did not beforehand toward the gunfire contempt proceeding shots and being told wherever the shooter was.
State and national reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems successful instrumentality enforcement training, communication, enactment and technology, and questioned wherefore officers waited truthful long.
According to the authorities review, Gonzales told investigators that erstwhile constabulary realized determination were students inactive sitting successful different classrooms, helium helped evacuate them.
Some household members of the victims person said much officers should beryllium indicted.
"They each waited and allowed children and teachers to die," said Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was 1 of the 2 teachers who were killed.
Prosecutors volition apt look a precocious barroom to triumph a conviction. Juries are often reluctant to convict instrumentality enforcement officers for inaction, arsenic seen aft the Parkland, Florida, schoolhouse massacre successful 2018.
Sheriff's lawman Scot Peterson was charged with failing to face the shooter successful that attack. It was the archetypal specified prosecution successful the U.S. for an on-campus shooting, and Peterson was acquitted by a assemblage successful 2023.
At the petition of Gonzales' attorneys, the proceedings was moved astir 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast to Corpus Christi. They argued Gonzales could not person a just proceedings successful Uvalde, and prosecutors did not object.
Uvalde, a municipality of 15,000, inactive has respective salient reminders of the shooting. Robb Elementary is closed but inactive stands, and a memorial of 21 crosses and angiosperm sits adjacent the schoolhouse sign. Another memorial sits astatine the downtown plaza fountain, and murals depicting respective victims tin inactive beryllium seen connected the walls of respective buildings.
Jesse Rizo, whose 9-year-old niece Jackie was 1 of the students killed, said adjacent with three-hour thrust to Corpus Christi, the household would similar to person idiosyncratic be the proceedings each day.
"It's important that the assemblage spot that Jackie had a big, beardown family," Rizo said.
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Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno successful Austin, Texas, and Juan A. Lozano successful Houston contributed to this report.
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