Uvalde victims' families demand more indictments after former officer in botched school shooting response pleads not guilty
UVALDE – When Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde schools police officer, arrived in court Thursday, the families of children he's accused of failing to protect were there waiting.
"It's a fraction of the justice we think our daughter deserves, that we think her friend deserves," said Christina Zamora, one of dozens of the victims' family members filling the courtroom to see Gonzales plead not guilty on 29 counts of abandoning and endangering the students of Robb Elementary.
Zamora's daughter, Mayah, was just 10 years old when she was shot in the chest, arm, and hands while inside her classroom in May of 2022.
She survived. Twenty-one others did not.
Two years later after the deadly school shooting, the physical and emotional recovery hasn't gotten easier.
"I think it's getting harder, honestly," said Mayah's father, Ruben Zamora.
"I find it hard because she's growing. And it's like, are you taking the steps you'd normally be taking if nothing had happened to you?" said Christina.
A grand jury indicted Gonzales and his former police chief, Pete Arredondo, accusing them of failing to "engage, distract, or delay the shooter" and, in doing so, failing "to follow... active shooter training."
The Zamoras say they were aware of a grand jury investigation connected to the shooting, but not who it was targeting.
"We were very surprised to see Adrian Gonzales' name on there," said Christina. "We both feel for his family, because it's a small town and we know who they are."
"At the end of the day, we're fighting for justice," said Ruben Gonzales, Mayah's father. "If that means somebody we know needs to be held accountable for it, it is what it is."
The Zamoras echoed the calls of many victims' families for more officers to be charged.
"The other officers need to be charged too," said Brett Cross, who lost his son, Uziyah, in the shooting.
Jesse Rizo, who lost his niece Jackie Cazares, gave Gonzales some credit for showing up in court rather than waiving his right to an arraignment like Arredondo.
"Seeing him and him being the only there, you kinda get discouraged. There were so many officers that failed the children," said Rizo.
"There were over 370 officers there. We have not seen or even heard of a theory of why Mr Gonzales is being singled out," said Gonzales' attorney, Nico LaHood.
LaHood said he's seen no evidence of his client's guilt.
The legal case itself, he said, is a first in Texas.
"No Texas police officer has been charged under this statute before, based off the situation we're dealing with. This is uncharted territory," he said.
Throughout the short hearing, Gonzales stared straight ahead while entering his plea, never looking back at the gathered families.
"He doesn't turn around and face the victims families, right? It's total disrespect to me," said Rizo.
The Zamoras disagreed.
"It would have been an insult for him to look at us," said Christina.
The Zamoras now live in San Antonio near the hospital where Mayah still requires treatment for her injuries.
Still her parents say they plan to attend every court hearing they can to serve as a reminder of the children who deserved better.