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The trial of former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales got underway Tuesday, with a jury seated and opening statements expected to begin.
Gonzales is charged with child endangerment in connection with the law enforcement response to the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were killed.
He faces 29 counts of abandoning or endangering a child — one count for each child who was inside the classrooms.
Prosecutors allege Gonzales failed to confront the shooter despite being among the first officers on scene.
Before opening statements Tuesday morning, Gonzales’s defense attorney asked the judge to exclude graphic autopsy photos of the children, arguing the images could unfairly prejudice the jury. The judge ruled that some photos may be admitted but said he will decide which ones on a case-by-case basis as the trial proceeds.
The judge also placed limits on courtroom language, allowing the children to be referred to as “victims,” but not as victims of Gonzales.
Gonzales’s attorney emphasized that Gonzales never fired a weapon and was not the shooter, arguing he should not be held responsible for the massacre.
Prosecutors countered that under Texas law, adults responsible for children have a legal duty to protect them — a central argument in the child endangerment charges.
The case marks one of the first major courtroom tests of efforts to hold law enforcement officers criminally accountable for actions taken — or not taken — during the Uvalde school shooting response.
The jury was selected from more than 400 potential jurors, and the trial is being held in Corpus Christi in Nueces County after a judge granted a change of venue, citing concerns that an impartial jury could not be seated in Uvalde.
During jury selection Monday, presiding Judge Sid Harle acknowledged it was likely no one in the jury pool had not already heard about the shooting.
Former Uvalde CISD police chief Pete Arredondo is the only other officer to be indicted. He is awaiting a separate trial.
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