The trial of a former school police officer from Uvalde, Texas, charged with failing to take action during the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, which resulted in 21 fatalities, was abruptly paused due to a significant alteration in a witness’s testimony.
Adrian Gonzales faces charges of 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment related to the tragic incident. Prosecutors have stated that, if found guilty, Gonzales could face a prison sentence of up to two years.
In court on Tuesday, former teacher Stephanie Hale testified that she observed the shooter on the south side of the campus, where Gonzales was positioned, as reported by Texas Public Radio.
However, defense lawyers contested her testimony, claiming it contradicted Hale’s previous statements to a Texas Ranger during the 2022 investigation. Her earlier account reportedly placed the shooter at a different proximity to Gonzales, according to the outlet.
Adrian Gonzales, the former Uvalde school district police officer, is seen leaving the courtroom for a recess at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
The jury was excused until Thursday while attorneys prepared to address motions concerning Hale’s testimony. The judge is set to hear arguments on Wednesday, and the defense has suggested the possibility of declaring a mistrial, as reported by Texas Public Radio.
Gonzales, who was among the first to respond to the attack, arrived while the teenage assailant was still outside the building. The officer allegedly did not make a move, even when a teacher pointed out the direction of the shooter, special prosecutor Bill Turner said Tuesday during opening statements in the trial.
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)
The officer only went inside Robb Elementary minutes later “after the damage had been done,” Turner said.
“When you hear gunshots, you go to the gunfire,” Turner added, noting that Gonzales, a 10-year veteran of the police force, had extensive active shooter training.
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)
An indictment accused Gonzales of putting children in “imminent danger” of injury or death by failing to engage, distract or delay the shooter and by not following his training. The allegations also said he did not go toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told the shooter’s location.
Gonzales’ attorneys disputed accusations that he did nothing at what they called a chaotic scene, saying that he helped evacuate children as other police arrived.
Adrian Gonzales, a former police officer for schools in Uvalde, Texas. At right is a memorial dedicated to the 19 children and two adults killed on May 24, 2022, during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. (Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office/AP/Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“The government makes it want to seem like he just sat there,” defense attorney Nico LaHood said on Tuesday. “He did what he could, with what he knew at the time.”
