CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Closing arguments were held on Wednesday in the trial of former Uvalde ISD police officer Adrian Gonzales, who prosecutors say failed to stop a gunman during the critical first minutes of the 2022 Robb Elementary School attack.
Defense lawyers for Gonzales rested their case Tuesday after calling just two witnesses, including a police tactics expert who supported their claim that Gonzales did the best he could after arriving on campus amid a chaotic scene. The defense also called a woman who worked across the street from the school, who testified she saw the shooter ducking between cars and trying to stay out of view — testimony that could support Gonzales' claims that he never saw the gunman.
Gonzales has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. He faces up to two years in prison if convicted. He did not take the stand in his own defense.
The prosecution's final witness was a state investigator. During nine days of testimony, jurors heard gripping and emotional accounts from teachers who described the terrifying moments when the 18-year-old gunman entered the school and killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022.
Prosecutors presented graphic photos from inside the classrooms and called officers who described the chaotic response. At one point early in the trial, the sister of one of the killed teachers was removed from the courtroom after an angry outburst during officer testimony.
The prosecution has attempted to show what could have been prevented if Gonzales had intercepted the gunman in the early seconds of the attack, using the raw emotion and shock of the tragedy to build their case.
Closing arguments wrapped up on Wednesday before the jury began deliberations. The jury is set to return its verdict Wednesday afternoon, according to Nueces County officials.
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