Accountability After Uvalde: Families Demand Justice as Trial of Officer Begins

Sat Jan 03 2026 12:01:12 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As the trial of former Uvalde officer Adrian Gonzales commences, families of victims from the 2022 school shooting express their anguish and demand accountability for the police's inaction during the tragedy.

In Uvalde, Texas, families of victims from the tragic 2022 school shooting are seeking justice as they navigate a trial against former officer Adrian Gonzales for charges of child endangerment and abandonment. With the police's delayed response under scrutiny, this trial could provide a rare instance of law enforcement accountability amidst ongoing community divisions and unresolved grief.

Families who lost loved ones in the 2022 attack on an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, have sought for nearly four years to hold accountable the police who waited more than an hour to confront the shooter while children and teachers lay dead or wounded in classrooms.

Now one of the first officers on the scene is about to stand trial on multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales is accused of ignoring his training in a crisis with deadly consequences. His attorney insists he was focused on helping children escape from the building.

The trial beginning Monday offers one of the last chances for families to see police answer for the long delay in response. After their firearm regulation efforts were rejected by lawmakers, and lawsuits remain unresolved, the families are pinning their hopes on the jury. A number of parents even ran for political offices to seek change, with mixed success.

The proceedings will provide a rare example of an officer being criminally charged with not doing more to stop a crime and protect lives.

Jesse Rizo’s niece was one of 19 children and two teachers killed by the teenage gunman in one of U.S. history's deadliest school shootings. Nine-year-old Jackie Cazares still had a pulse when rescuers finally reached her, Rizo lamented.

The charges reflect the dead and wounded children, but not the deaths of teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles. Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Garcia was killed, questions why only two of the 376 officers on the scene have been charged. What about the other 374? she questioned, filled with anguish.

This trial emerges amid a divided Uvalde community, where the Robb Elementary building remains empty yet adorned with memorials for the victims. Some community members have moved on from the tragedy while others continue to seek justice and ensure accountability for failures in law enforcement response. Families are not only pursuing justice through the courts, but also urged state and federal lawmakers for stricter gun control laws, which have largely stalled.

As Gonzales’ attorney states, He was focused on getting children out of that building. This trial could hold crucial implications for ongoing discussions around police accountability and community safety in school environments.