The first trial connected to the catastrophic law enforcement response during the 2022 Uvalde school shooting is about to begin, thrusting the small Texas community back into a national spotlight many residents have desperately tried to escape.
Jury selection starts Monday, January 5, 2026, in the trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, who faces 29 felony counts of abandoning or endangering a child. The proceedings have been moved to Nueces County court in Corpus Christi following a change of venue from Uvalde, though legal experts question whether the move will truly insulate the case from intense public scrutiny and emotion.
“I mean, it’s going to be difficult. I don’t know that moving it to Nueces County is going to resolve any of these problems,” said Milner, according to local news reports.
Unprecedented Jury Pool
Court officials have summoned an extraordinary 450 potential jurors for the trial — nearly seven times the typical 65 called for similar felony cases. The massive pool reflects both the complexity and notoriety of a case that has haunted Texas for nearly four years.
Gonzales, one of the first officers to arrive at Robb Elementary School during the May 24, 2022 shooting, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors allege he failed to follow active shooter training when he arrived at the scene, as documented in evidence expected to be presented during the trial.
What makes this case particularly devastating? The shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 students and 2 teachers, while law enforcement waited over 70 minutes before confronting the gunman — a delay that has been the subject of multiple investigations and reviews since the tragedy.
“We know we’re going to hear a lot of detail that we probably haven’t heard before. Intimate things that happened and what they saw in the hallway, in the classroom,” said Rizo, a family member of one of the victims, highlighting the emotional toll the trial is expected to take on the community.
Families Seek Accountability
For many families of the victims, including those of 9-year-old Jackie Cazares, the trial represents a crucial step toward accountability. Despite the pain of reliving the tragedy, many plan to attend the proceedings, determined to see the case through to its conclusion.
“It’s right there at our doorstep. So what do we do now? Do we fold? Do we bend? Or what to do, right? And we will finish it to the very end,” Rizo stated in a recent interview.
Gonzales isn’t the only law enforcement official facing charges. Former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo was also indicted in 2024 on similar child endangerment and abandonment charges, though his trial date remains unscheduled. The parallel cases highlight the broader questions about police training, protocol, and accountability that continue to haunt communities nationwide.
Public sentiment toward the officers involved remains overwhelmingly negative nearly four years after the shooting.
“In the court of public opinion, he will always be a failure. He will always be found guilty,” said Rizo, reflecting the community’s deep-seated anger toward those they believe failed to protect their children.
The trial, expected to last several weeks, will likely serve as both a legal reckoning and a painful reopening of wounds that many in Uvalde have struggled to heal — regardless of the verdict that ultimately emerges from the Corpus Christi courthouse.
