Jury selection begins on Monday for the trial of a former Uvalde school police officer, the first to face criminal charges for the botched response to the 2022 elementary school massacre.
Adrian Gonzales faces 29 counts of child abandonment and endangerment in a rare prosecution that could set a precedent for holding law enforcement criminally liable for inaction.
The trial comes more than three years after 19 students and two teachers died at Robb Elementary School.
Officers waited 77 minutes before confronting the gunman.
Gonzales has pleaded not guilty. Of more than 300 officers who responded that day, only he and former schools police chief Pete Arredondo face charges.
Defense attorney Toby Shook, not connected to the case, called the prosecution unprecedented.
“This is a very unique case, because I think this is maybe the second time an officer has been tried under this theory of being held criminally responsible for not acting, for an omission, rather than an act that he’s done,” Shook said, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
The trial was relocated from Uvalde to Corpus Christi to ensure impartiality. Courts summoned 450 potential jurors — an unusually large pool reflecting the case’s notoriety.
“Too many people, small county, or touched by that. So, the moving the trial is significant in that the officer has a chance of a more fair jury pool, and there won’t be as much pressure on the jury there as there would be if it took place where the shooting actually happened,” Shook explained, per Fox 4.
Prosecutors argue Gonzales ignored training and failed to act. His defense maintains he was helping other children escape.
“Those parents want someone held accountable,” Shook said. “And the fact that there was a 77-minute delay and engaging with that shooter, they want police officers held accountable. This officer is the only one that had that training, probably, and was one of the first to arrive.”
Jury selection could span several days before testimony begins. Attorneys will scrutinize potential jurors about their knowledge of the tragedy.
“It’s alright if they’ve seen the news, because most people have seen something about it, but it’s whether they have formed an opinion about the verdict that’s the key question,” Shook noted.
“I think the rest of the country will care, and must care, because there were children murdered, and it’s a situation that’s happened again and again in this country, and they wanted to stop,” Shook said.
Victims’ families plan to attend the proceedings in Corpus Christi. The trial itself is expected to last weeks with numerous witnesses and experts testifying.
