Trial of former Uvalde officer Adrian Gonzales enters 2nd week

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Former Uvalde CISD officer Adrian Gonzales will walk into court Monday morning as the start of week two begins. He is being charged with 29 counts of abandoning or endangering a child. Prosecutors say he didn't act quickly enough during the 2022 massacre, where 19 students and two teachers were killed. 

Testimony is expected to continue at 9 a.m.

There was a brief pause in testimony after a teacher's recollection of that day was flagged for discrepancies. She was questioned again, and the judge decided to strike her comments from the record.

Last week's gruesome evidence

What's Happened?:

Last week, powerful new images of the destruction of Robb Elementary School were shown to the juror depicting the day of the May 2022 shooting.

Prosecutors presented dozens of photos of new evidence throughout the school, documenting the damage left behind. During the presentation of evidence, some photos that were presented, the judge warned the audience, were "gruesome" and "shocking."

The images depicted areas of the school struck by gunfire, such as classroom walls, windows with shattered glass and doorways with bullet fragments. Some of the photos also showed students' school work and belongings left behind.

The state argued the images show the intensity of the attack and says Gonzales ignored his active shooter training and failed to act. The defense says Gonzales is not responsible for the bullet destruction in the classroom, stating that he previously said he radioed for help and helped evacuate students.

Last week testimony:

On Friday, testimony supporting the prosecution's case continued throughout the day. Witness testimony was heard from former teachers who were sheltered in classrooms, parents of children who lost their lives and district employees who were on the scene during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. 

Forensic experts and federal agents also weighed in on video from the shooting and evidence examined at the scene. Texas Ranger and bullet trajectory analyst Kevin Wright testified that many of the bullets traveled from the outside of the building, into classrooms and to adjoining rooms.

Testimony from victim's parent

The mother of one shooting victim, 9-year-old Eliana Garcia, gave her recollection of the day of the shooting. Jennifer Garcia said Eliana had asked to come home early that day, but Jennifer told her to stay to participate in an end-of-year pizza party with her class.

Eliana would have turned 10 on June 4, just a week after the shooting.

Legal hurdles and procedural delays

What's next:

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

The trial was moved to Corpus Christi after defense attorneys argued that Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde, the small community still reeling from the tragedy. A pool of 450 potential jurors was narrowed down to a final panel of 12.

Prosecutors allege that Gonzales ignored his active shooter training and failed to act as a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

Nearly 400 officers responded to the school on May 24, 2022. More than 70 minutes passed before a tactical team entered, killing the shooter.

Read more:

• Jury selected for trial of Uvalde officer charged with child endangerment
• Uvalde school shooting trial closes for day; set to resume Thursday
• Uvalde school shooting trial: Judge denies mistrial motion after 'discrepancies' in teacher's testimony
• Uvalde shooting trial: Judge tosses teacher’s emotional testimony
• Uvalde shooting trial: Mother of victim testifies as prosecution of former police officer continues

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