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UVALDE, Texas -- A erstwhile Uvalde schoolhouse constabulary serviceman who was portion of the dilatory instrumentality enforcement effect to the 2022 wide shooting astatine Robb Elementary School is scheduled to look successful tribunal for the archetypal clip Thursday.
Adrian Gonzales was 1 of the astir 400 instrumentality enforcement unit who responded to the country but past waited much than 70 minutes to face the shooter wrong the school. He's scheduled to beryllium arraigned successful the tiny Texas municipality connected charges of abandoning and failing to support children who were killed and wounded.
Some families person spent much than 2 years pressing for officers to look charges aft 19 children and 2 teachers were killed wrong the 4th people classroom.
Gonzales and erstwhile Uvalde schools constabulary Chief Pete Arredondo were indicted by a Uvalde expansive assemblage successful June. Arredondo waived his arraignment and entered a not blameworthy plea connected July 10. Both were released connected enslaved pursuing their indictments.
The constabulary main for schools successful Uvalde, Texas, made captious decisions that slowed the instrumentality enforcement effect to halt a gunman who was "hunting" victims and yet killed 21 radical astatine Robb Elementary, according to an indictment.
Gonzales' lawyer has called the charges "unprecedented successful the authorities of Texas."
"Mr. Gonzales' presumption is helium did not interruption schoolhouse territory argumentation oregon authorities law," said Nico LaHood, the erstwhile territory lawyer for Bexar County.
Javier Montemayor, who is listed by the Uvalde District Clerk arsenic Arredondo's attorney, did not instrumentality telephone messages near astatine his bureau seeking comment.
The May 22, 2022, onslaught was 1 of the worst schoolhouse shootings successful U.S. history. The constabulary effect has been heavy criticized successful authorities and national investigations that described "cascading failures" successful training, connection and enactment among officers who waited extracurricular the gathering portion immoderate victims laic dying oregon begging for help.
Gonzales, 51, was among the archetypal officers to arrive. He was indicted connected 29 charges that impeach him of abandoning his grooming and not confronting the shooter, adjacent aft proceeding gunshots arsenic helium stood successful a hallway.
Arredondo, 53, was the on-site commandant that day. He is charged with 10 authorities jailhouse felony counts of abandoning oregon endangering a child. Arredondo failed to place an progressive shooting, did not travel his grooming and made decisions that slowed the constabulary effect to halt a gunman who was "hunting" victims, according to the indictment.
Terrified students wrong the schoolroom called 911 arsenic parents begged officers to spell in. A tactical squad of officers yet went into the schoolroom and killed the shooter.
Each complaint against Gonzales and Arredondo carries up to 2 years successful jailhouse if convicted.
The lawsuit is the latest, yet inactive uncommon condition of a U.S. instrumentality enforcement serviceman being charged for allegedly failing to enactment during an on-campus shooting. The archetypal specified lawsuit to spell to proceedings was a sheriff's lawman successful Florida who did not face the perpetrator of the 2018 Parkland massacre. The lawman was acquitted of felony neglect past year. A suit by the victims' families and survivors is pending.
Some families of the Uvalde victims person called for much officers to beryllium charged. Several families person filed national and authorities lawsuits against instrumentality enforcement, societal media and online gaming companies and the weapon shaper that made the firearm the gunman used.
RELATED: Uvalde families writer makers of AR-15, 'Call of Duty,' Meta implicit wide shooting
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