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Uvalde Officer’s Trial Paused Over Witness Discrepancy as Judge Weighs Next Steps

The judge dismissed jurors to weigh defense claims that prosecutors failed to disclose a teacher’s new account placing the gunman near the defendant.

Overview

  • Former teacher Stephanie Hale testified she saw the shooter on the school's south side, where Adrian Gonzales was positioned, a detail she did not give in a 2022 interview.
  • Judge Sid Harle sent the jury home until Thursday and held proceedings without jurors, allowing the defense to question District Attorney Christina Mitchell and an investigator about disclosures.
  • Defense attorneys allege a discovery violation under Texas’ Michael Morton Act and Brady, calling the situation a trial by ambush and indicating a mistrial could be sought.
  • Prosecutors told jurors Gonzales arrived before the shooter entered and failed to engage despite training, while the defense says he acted on the information he had and helped evacuate children.
  • Gonzales faces 29 counts of child endangerment and abandonment tied to the 2022 attack that killed 19 students and two teachers, a rare criminal test of police inaction moved to Corpus Christi; each count carries six months to two years in state jail.