Yet twice in recent years — in Parkland, Florida, and in Uvalde, Texas — school police officers have allegedly failed to follow that protocol. The acquittals of these officers also contrast with the successful prosecutions in Michigan and Illinois against the parents of mass shooters. This was just the second criminal prosecution of an officer responding to a school shooting. Thousands of mourners hold candles during a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, on February 15, 2018. Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales, right, embraces his attorney Jason Goss after the jury found Gonzales not guilty on January 21, 2026.

Source: CNN January 24, 2026 14:31 UTC