Surviving teacher testifies in 2nd week of Uvalde school shooting trial

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Former Uvalde CISD officer Adrian Gonzales walked into court Monday morning as the start of week two began. He is being charged with 29 counts of abandoning or endangering a child. Prosecutors say he didn't act quickly enough during the 2022 massacre, where 19 students and two teachers were killed. 

Testimony continued at 9 a.m. on Monday.

What we know:

There was a brief pause in testimony after a teacher's recollection of that day was flagged for discrepancies. She was questioned again, and the judge decided to strike her comments from the record.

Prosecutors continued to build their case against the former school police officer as emotional testimony was given by a teacher injured in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Testimony of the classroom attack

What they're saying:

Arnulfo Reyes was a teacher working inside classroom 111 when the gunman walked in and opened fire. Reyes survived by playing dead. None of his students survived.

"There behind my desk and trying to comprehend what was going on. And then, for some reason, I looked at the wall that's across from me, which would be facing room 112. And then, there was just a lot more. And then I saw pieces of the wall, which were some objects falling. Not sure if it was sheet rock or what it was, but something was falling off the wall. And at that same time, I had a student come and ask me what was going on," said Reyes.

"I don't know, I don't know what's going on. And then, I told my kids to go ahead and get under the table."

"So when the students were going under the table and I got off from my desk area and was going around to hide from view, and that is when I looked at my door and that's where I saw him," said Reyes.

"A black shadow."

The prosecution then asked the teacher what the shadow was doing.

"The black Shadow was holding a gun," said Reyes. "And I know that he was holding a gun because I just saw the fire come out of the other gun."

Reyes goes on to describe that the shooter shot at him, striking him in the arm.

"Okay, so he hit me on my arm, and that's when I fell to the ground. And then, after I fell on to the ground," said Reyes. "He came around, and he shot the kids."

Reyes said the gunman then went into room 112 and continued shooting.

That gunman then came back into his classroom and taunted Reyes, before shooting him again in the back.

During school lockdown

The other side:

During cross-examination, defense attorneys focused on whether the doors to the school and to Reyes’ classroom were locked, as required by school policy. 

Reyes said that his door had been giving him problems and that he had reported to the principal and the secretary asking that it be fixed. There is no written record of this request. 

The defense also argued that Reyes didn’t check to make sure the door was locked when he went into lockdown, which is part of procedure.

Reyes tells the court that he didn't realize he was hearing gunshots, and he was not sure if he locked the door or not.

"I don't know for sure if I might or not… because I still had my keys on my arm when I ended up in the hospital and all that. So, if I still had my keys here, why would I have it here, if I didn't lock the door? "

What's next:

No questions were asked about Adrian Gonzales during the teacher’s testimony, but the defense did point out that Reyes did not get a notification from the school's emergency alert system or hear an announcement from their intercom system. 

Court is in recess until tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Last week's gruesome evidence

The backstory:

Last week, powerful new images of the destruction of Robb Elementary School were shown to the juror depicting the day of the May 2022 shooting.

Prosecutors presented dozens of photos of new evidence throughout the school, documenting the damage left behind. During the presentation of evidence, some photos that were presented, the judge warned the audience, were "gruesome" and "shocking."

The images depicted areas of the school struck by gunfire, such as classroom walls, windows with shattered glass and doorways with bullet fragments. Some of the photos also showed students' school work and belongings left behind.

The state argued the images show the intensity of the attack and says Gonzales ignored his active shooter training and failed to act. The defense says Gonzales is not responsible for the bullet destruction in the classroom, stating that he previously said he radioed for help and helped evacuate students.

Last week testimony:

On Friday, testimony supporting the prosecution's case continued throughout the day. Witness testimony was heard from former teachers who were sheltered in classrooms, parents of children who lost their lives and district employees who were on the scene during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. 

Forensic experts and federal agents also weighed in on video from the shooting and evidence examined at the scene. Texas Ranger and bullet trajectory analyst Kevin Wright testified that many of the bullets traveled from the outside of the building, into classrooms and to adjoining rooms.

Testimony from victim's parent

The mother of one shooting victim, 9-year-old Eliana Garcia, gave her recollection of the day of the shooting. Jennifer Garcia said Eliana had asked to come home early that day, but Jennifer told her to stay to participate in an end-of-year pizza party with her class.

Eliana would have turned 10 on June 4, just a week after the shooting.

Legal hurdles and procedural delays

Dig deeper:

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

The trial was moved to Corpus Christi after defense attorneys argued that Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde, the small community still reeling from the tragedy. A pool of 450 potential jurors was narrowed down to a final panel of 12.

Prosecutors allege that Gonzales ignored his active shooter training and failed to act as a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

Nearly 400 officers responded to the school on May 24, 2022. More than 70 minutes passed before a tactical team entered, killing the shooter.

Read more:

• Jury selected for trial of Uvalde officer charged with child endangerment
• Uvalde school shooting trial closes for day; set to resume Thursday
• Uvalde school shooting trial: Judge denies mistrial motion after 'discrepancies' in teacher's testimony
• Uvalde shooting trial: Judge tosses teacher’s emotional testimony
• Uvalde shooting trial: Mother of victim testifies as prosecution of former police officer continues

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