Four years after the harrowing incident at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 19 students and two teachers tragically lost their lives, a former school police officer has shared his perspective following his recent acquittal.
Adrian Gonzales, who faced 29 charges of child abandonment or endangerment related to the May 24, 2022, shooting, has spoken out for the first time since a jury cleared him of all charges. In his interview, Gonzales expressed no remorse for his actions on that fateful day.
The jury reached their decision after just seven hours of deliberation. During the trial, Gonzales chose not to testify, while his defense team presented two witnesses in his favor.
Photographed leaving the courtroom during a recess at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, on January 6, 2026, Gonzales continues to be a figure of public interest. (Eric Gay/AP)
The investigation revealed a 77-minute gap between the authorities’ arrival at the scene and the tactical team’s breach of a classroom to confront and neutralize the shooter. This delayed response has been a focal point of criticism directed at law enforcement in the years following the tragedy.
“People can speculate about what they would have done in my place, but until you’ve been in that situation, it’s impossible to say,” Gonzales remarked in his conversation with ABC News.
Gonzales was the first on the scene at Robb Elementary School when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos carried out his deadly attack. The former school police officer told ABC News that he did not see Ramos and that he retreated from inside the school building because of an order from his commanding officer.
“I did the best that I could with the information I was getting,” he said, adding, “I don’t regret it, because I took an order from my chief at that time.”
Attorney Nico LaHood makes opening arguments during a trial for former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
While he stands behind the actions he took during the shooting, Gonzales told ABC News that he understands that the victims’ families were frustrated with the verdict. He also said that he prays for the victims, their families and the community.
The 52-year-old former officer told ABC News that he believes he was selectively prosecuted, while others who arrived at the scene did not have their actions scrutinized.
“When the videos started playing, I realized that they handpicked me,” he told ABC News. “They had an excuse for everybody else. They did this, they did that, you know, but I had to do this, I had to do that.”
Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales, right, and his attorney Nico LaHood, left, arrive in the courtroom at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
After the verdict, Gonzales thanked God, his family, his legal team and the jury.
“First things first, I want to start by thanking God for this,” Gonzales said. “My family, my wife, and these guys right here. He put them in my path, you know? And I’m just thankful for that. Thank you to the jury for considering all the evidence and making their verdict.”
Former Uvalde Schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo was also criminally charged in relation to the 2022 shooting. He was charged with endangerment or abandonment of a child and has pleaded not guilty. A date for Arredondo’s trial has not yet been set.
