Uvalde victim’s dad reacts to acquittal: ‘We had a little hope, but it wasn’t enough’

(UVALDE, Texas) — Javier Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jackie was killed in the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting, said he feels failed again after a jury on Wednesday night acquitted former school district police officer Adrian Gonzales on all 29 counts of child endangerment.

“We had a little hope, but it wasn’t enough,” Cazares said outside court. “Again, we are failed. I don’t even know what to say.”

Prosecutors had alleged Gonzales did not follow his training and endangered the 19 students who died and an additional 10 students who survived the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School mass shooting. Gonzales’ lawyers argued he was unfairly blamed for a broader law-enforcement failure that day.

Cazares said he was hopeful that the jury might have reached a different conclusion, but “prepared for the worst.”

“I need to keep composed for my daughter. It has been an emotional rollercoaster since day one. I am pissed,” he said. 

Jackie’s uncle, Jesse Rizo, told reporters he was concerned about the message the verdict might send to police officers who respond to future mass shootings. 

“I respect the jury’s decision, but what message does it send?” he said. “If you’re an officer, you can simply stand by, stand down, stand idle, and not do anything and wait for everybody to be executed, killed, slaughtered, massacred.” 

Jackie’s aunt, Julissa Rizo, pushed back on the defense narrative that Gonzales responded as best he could, telling ABC News, “That’s not true.”

“There were two monsters on May 24. One was the shooter, and the other one was the one that never went in, that could have avoided this,” she said.

Defense attorney Jason Goss told reporters that he believes the acquittal clears Gonzales’ name. 

“The evidence showed that not only did he not fail, but he put himself in great danger,” Goss said.

Gonzales told ABC News he plans on “picking up the pieces and moving forward.”

Defense attorney Nico LaHood said he will continue to pray for the victims’ families. 

“We understand that their separation from their loved one is going to be felt as long as they walk on this earth, and we don’t ignore that. We acknowledge that,” he said. “We’re just going to continue to pray for them.”

Cazares said he will attend the trial of the other officer charged, former Uvalde Schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo.

Arredondo, who was the on-site commander on the day of the Robb Elementary shooting, is also charged with endangerment or abandonment of a child and has pleaded not guilty. His case has been delayed indefinitely by an ongoing federal lawsuit filed after the U.S. Border Patrol refused repeated efforts by Uvalde prosecutors to interview Border Patrol agents who responded to the shooting, including two who were in the tactical unit responsible for killing the gunman at the school. 

ABC News’ John Quiñones and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.