AUSTIN, TX — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two former school police officers face trials on charges over law enforcement’s slow response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, TexasTheir lawyers said on Tuesday that the court would be postponed, and one of them would be transferred outside the city where the attack occurred.
Former Uvalde Schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo and Officer Adrian Gonzalez have pleaded not guilty to dozens of child endangerment and abandonment charges in connection with the massacre at a Uvalde school. Robb Elementary School. The two men are scheduled to stand trial on October 20.
Gonzalez’s trial will be postponed to January in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the school, attorney Nico LaHood said Tuesday. Judge Sid Harley confirmed the agreement to change Gonzalez’s jurisdiction, but said a formal order had not yet been made.
Arredondo’s trial is also on hold because A.J Pending federal lawsuit By local prosecutors seeking to compel Border Patrol agents who were at the scene that day to testify. The lawsuit seeks federal court assistance because a state court cannot compel agents to testify on matters related to their official duties.
Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment.
Teenage gunman Salvador Ramos stormed the school on May 24, 2022, killing 19 fourth-graders and two teachers in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. The attack is also notable for the law enforcement response that saw more than 370 officers from numerous local, state and federal agencies wait more than an hour to confront and kill gunman Salvador Ramos.
Multiple reports State and federal officials have uncovered cascading problems in law enforcement training, communications, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers are prioritizing their own lives over the lives of children and teachers.
Arredondo and Gonzalez are the only officers to face charges since that day. Gonzalez was the only one who sought to have his trial moved outside the city of Uvalde, which has a population of about 15,000. Although the two men were originally scheduled to go on trial on the same day, they have separate legal teams
“We have reviewed all of the evidence provided to us by the government, and we have not seen anything that supports the charges against Mr. Gonzalez,” LaHood said.
Arredondo’s defense team wants to keep his trial in the city where the attack occurred.
“I believe I have a case for complete acquittal,” said Paul Looney, Arredondo’s attorney. “I believe the people in Uvalde will be the most interested and determined to get to the bottom of the facts.”
Arredondo’s case has been delayed by a federal lawsuit seeking testimony from the three U.S. Border Patrol agents, two of whom were part of the tactical team that killed Ramos.
This lawsuit claims that testimony from federal agents could be vital to Arredondo’s prosecution. His lawyers believe the testimony could be valuable in his defense. Arredondo, identified as the incident commander at the scene that day, has long said he was used as a scapegoat for law enforcement failures at the school.
Border Patrol agents gave statements early in the state’s investigation into the shooting. In a court filing on Monday, the agency confirmed that it had refused to allow agents to testify before a grand jury or at trial.
Looney did not predict Arredondo’s trial date.
“We have no idea when we will be able to prosecute this case,” Looney said. “The Border Patrol is trying to screen out important witnesses.”