Former Uvalde Officers Plead Not Guilty in Texas School Shooting Case

Officers Face Charges of Child Endangerment

Two former Texas school police officers have pleaded not guilty to charges related to the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers.

Adrian Gonzales entered a plea of not guilty to 29 counts of child endangerment during his arraignment on Thursday, according to his lawyer, Nico LaHood. Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, the other former officer, waived his right to an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of child endangerment, as per court documents.

Delayed Response Under Scrutiny

The charges against Gonzales and Arredondo stem from their roles in the mishandled police response to the shooting, during which officers waited for more than an hour outside a classroom where the gunman was barricaded with children. Some children made lengthy 911 calls from inside the classroom, indicating they were in the room with the gunman and surrounded by bodies.

“Mr. Gonzales is not guilty of these allegations,” LaHood stated after the arraignment. “He showed up that day to try to help those children. And there is evidence that he did help those children that day, he helped evacuate them.”

Upcoming Pre-Trial Hearings

The judge has set September 16 as the next pre-trial hearing date for both Arredondo and Gonzales. They were indicted by a grand jury in Uvalde last month.

Criticism of Law Enforcement Response

Hundreds of law enforcement officers have faced criticism for their failures during the response to the shooting on May 24, 2022. Officers left the 18-year-old gunman alone inside the classroom with children while they deliberated on how to confront him. By the time they stormed in, the school had become the site of one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history.

First Criminal Complaints Against Responding Officers

The charges against Arredondo and Gonzales mark the first criminal complaints against any of the responding officers. Federal and state investigations into the shooting have condemned the inaction of the officers.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, presenting the federal report on Uvalde earlier this year, stated that “lives would have been saved” if the police had immediately confronted the gunman.

Victims’ Families Seek Justice

In May, the families of the victims filed lawsuits against Meta, Activision Blizzard and its parent Microsoft, along with gunmaker Daniel Defense, alleging collusion in marketing weapons to young people.

The ongoing legal proceedings aim to address the failures and seek accountability for the tragic incident that shook the Uvalde community and the nation.