‘That Was My Mistake’: Ex-School Officer’s Interview Played as Emotional Testimony Continues at Uvalde Trial

Jurors in Corpus Christi on Tuesday heard an hourlong videotaped interview with former school district police officer Adrian Gonzales, the first in-court explanation of his actions just before the Uvalde massacre. The interview — conducted about 24 hours after the May 2022 shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary — was played after testimony from Texas Ranger Ricardo Guajardo. Prosecutors have made the recording a central piece of evidence in their case.

What the Interview Shows

In the videotaped session Gonzales, speaking with Guajardo and an FBI agent, recounted how a school coach described what the gunman was wearing and where he appeared to be headed. At the close of the hourlong interview, Gonzales offered a spare reflection:

“Now that I can sit back, I went tunnel vision, like I said, with the lady that was running. That was my mistake.”

Family members of the victims, including Kimberly Mata-Rubio, center left, and Gloria Cazares, right, react as they listen to an emotional testimony during the trial on Tuesday. Mata-Rubio's daughter Lexi Rubio and Cazares' daughter Jackie Cazares were two of the 19 children killed in their classrooms. - Sam Owens/Pool/The San Antonio Express-News/AP

Charges And Defense

Gonzales has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of endangering or abandoning a child. Special prosecutor Bill Taylor told jurors the officer had actionable information before the attacker entered the classrooms. Defense lawyers emphasized the chaos of the scene and questioned whether waiting for backup or seeking cover was reasonable in the situation Gonzales faced.

Emotional Courtroom Moments

The day included wrenching testimony from wounded teachers, a testimony from an off‑duty deputy who helped kill the gunman, and a dramatic outburst by a bereaved relative. Velma Duran — whose sister, teacher Irma Garcia, was killed shielding her students — screamed at the defense table and was removed and barred from returning for the rest of the trial after accusing others and demanding answers about locked doors and the so‑called “fatal funnel.”

Gloria Cazares strokes a tattoo on the arm of her husband, Javier Cazares, that depicts a portrait of their daughter Jackie Cazares, one of the 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary mass shooting. - Sam Owens/Pool/The San Antonio-Express News/AP

Witnesses: From Shooter’s Death To Survivors’ Accounts

Joe Vasquez, an off‑duty deputy, testified he pushed past officers, entered a classroom hallway, encountered the gunman and fired, saying, “Nobody stopped me.” Wounded fourth‑grade teacher Elsa Avila described being shot while directing students away from a window, praying not to die in front of them, helping children through a window to officers, and later walking to an ambulance because no stretcher was available.

Former teacher Arnulfo Reyes, the only survivor in his classroom, told jurors his door was not locked that day and that students hid under tables; he said 11 students were killed in his room and eight in the connected classroom. Throughout, witnesses and attorneys debated policies and tactics such as how to avoid exposure in a so‑called fatal funnel and whether procedural choices influenced how the event unfolded. Investigators and the public remain focused on why it took law enforcement 77 minutes to stop the shooter after he entered the school.

Arnulfo Reyes, a former fourth-grade teacher from Robb Elementary School, recuperates at home in August 2022 after being repeatedly shot during the mass shooting at the school in Uvalde. - Nuri Vallbona/Reuters

The trial continues as jurors weigh the interview and testimony in a case that has drawn national scrutiny, and as families press for accountability while grieving the loss of loved ones.

CNN’s Amanda Jackson in Corpus Christi contributed to this report.