Several families were inside the courtroom as the not guilty verdict was read on Wednesday night after hours of deliberation.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Families of victims from the Robb Elementary School shooting expressed heartbreak, anger, and frustration after a jury acquitted former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales on child endangerment charges tied to the May 24, 2022, massacre.
Several families were inside the courtroom as the verdict was read. Some were too emotional to speak afterward, while others said the outcome left them feeling failed once again.
Juanita Cazares Rizzo, the aunt of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares, said the verdict reflected broader systemic problems.
“The system failed the children, the teachers again, over and over again,” She said.
Julissa Rizzo called the decision devastating and criticized law enforcement’s response that day.
“I want justice for Jackie,” she said. “There were two monsters on May 24th. One was a shooter, and the other was a monster that never went in and could have avoided this.”
Jackie Cazares’ family remained in Corpus Christi for the duration of the trial. Her father, Javier Cazares, said the verdict was painful but not entirely unexpected.
“I’m pissed,” he said. “But again, we had to prepare for the worst. We had a little hope, but it wasn’t enough.”
Jackie’s uncle, Jesse Rizzo, said the acquittal sends a troubling message to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“What message does it send out there?” Rizzo said. “That if you’re an officer, you can simply stand by, stand down, stand idle, and not do anything?”
For Brett Cross, who lost his son Uziyah Garcia, the verdict did not come as a surprise. He placed blame on prosecutors rather than the defense.
“I expected it,” Cross said. “The DA didn’t push hard enough. They didn’t do a good job. It wasn’t Nico and Adrian that won — it was the DA that didn’t do their job.”
Despite the outcome, members of Jackie Cazares’ family said they are holding onto hope as they look ahead to the upcoming case against former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo.
“You find a way to appeal it if you can on Adrian Gonzales,” Rizzo said. “But in the future on Arredondo, you have to demonstrate accountability.”
A trial date for Arredondo has not been set. It is also unclear whether that case will be heard in Uvalde County or moved to another jurisdiction.