On the fifth day of the trial against former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales, Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who survived the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, shared harrowing details of that fateful day. Reyes described the moment the gunman entered his classroom, referring to him as a black shadow with a gun, amidst a chilling atmosphere of chaos and fear.
During Gonzales’ trial, Reyes recalled being shot and witnessing the massacre of his students. I looked at my door and that’s when I saw him ... a black shadow. The black shadow was holding a gun. I just saw the fire come out of the gun, he explained. Reyes was hit in the arm and back, and he described the horrifying experience of waiting in desperation for the attack to cease, praying for survival.
With Gonzales facing serious charges for his inaction during the active shooter situation, the prosecution argues that he neglected his training as over 370 officers stood by while the gunman continued the attack for over an hour. The courtroom has seen graphic footage and emotional calls from students trapped inside, shedding light on failures of response that day.
The trial marks a pivotal moment as the first time a police officer may be prosecuted for failing to act in such a dire situation. Demonstrating the burden of loss, none of the children in Reyes's classroom survived, further amplifying the pain felt by families and witnesses connected to this tragedy.
