By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- • An off-duty Zavala County sheriff’s deputy testified in the trial of a former Uvalde school police officer about his actions during the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
- • Deputy Joe Vasquez said he responded to the active shooter incident despite being off duty and not in his jurisdiction.
- • Vasquez testified he joined a U.S. Border Patrol BORTAC team that breached classrooms where the gunman was located.
- • The testimony came Jan. 13 during the trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, who faces nearly 30 criminal charges related to the response to the shooting.
UVALDE, TX — An off-duty Zavala County sheriff’s deputy who responded to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting testified Tuesday that he joined a U.S. Border Patrol tactical team that breached classrooms during the attack.
Deputy Joe Vasquez, whose daughter was enrolled at the school, took the stand Jan. 13 in the trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, who is charged with nearly 30 counts tied to alleged delays in the law enforcement response to the mass shooting.
Vasquez testified he was off duty when he learned of the active shooter situation, put on a bulletproof vest and grabbed a rifle before traveling to the scene.
He said he walked through the campus, following directions from other officers, and entered the building without a helmet or body-worn camera after being told the shooter was firing from classroom windows.
Vasquez said he joined a Border Patrol BORTAC team that breached the classroom where the shooter was located, fired several rounds in a brief exchange and later saw the gunman down on the floor.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned Vasquez about why he was able to open classroom doors while other officers were present, and he said no one stopped him from doing so.
The trial continues as prosecutors aim to show that Gonzales and others failed to act promptly to stop the gunman, and jurors are hearing multiple eyewitness and responder accounts.