Uvalde School Shooting Trial: Teacher recalls getting shot, taunted by gunman

Another day of testimony in the Adrian Gonzales trial brought jurors face-to-face with the immediate aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting.

Texas Rangers and Uvalde CISD employees took the stand, recounting what they saw, what they did, and what unfolded inside Robb Elementary.

The most emotional testimony of the day came from Arnulfo Reyes, who was teaching in Room 111 when the shooter entered. He was the lone survivor in that classroom. All of his students present at that time were killed.

Reyes recalled seeing a dark shadow at his door before seeing the flash of gunfire.

"He hit me in my arm, and that's when I fell to the ground," Reyes said. "And then after I fell onto the ground, he came around and shot the kids."

He remembers the shooter coughing and hearing his footsteps as he walked between Room 111 and Room 112.

"When a student from that classroom said, 'Officer, come in here, we're in here,' then he walks over there, and I heard more shooting," Reyes said.

Reyes recalled trying to convince the shooter he was dead.

"He came, and he tried to taunt me. He got some of my blood and splashed it on my face," Reyes said. He says he closed his eyes to convince the shooter that he was dead.

He whispered to his students to close their eyes too, to make sure they didn't see the bad things happening around them.

The gunman also shot Reyes in the back.

When Border Patrol breached the classroom, Reyes remembers telling them that he was alive. The agents took him to the hallway for medical attention.

You could not see Reyes' face in the proceedings today, but you could hear the emotion in his voice.

The prosecution showed Reyes a photo of each child in his classroom and of some children in Room 112. He named each one and told the jury if they survived. Most did not.

The defense team pointed out that the connecting door between Room 111 and Room 112 was unlocked the day of the shooting.

"Because Ms. Mireles, who was the special ed teacher on that side, she always came in on that side to get things printed," Reyes explained.

"The rules still said the doors had to be locked, right?" Defense attorney Nico LaHood asked.

Reyes confirmed that it was the rule.

LaHood asked Reyes about issues with his main door locking. Reyes says he reported issues with the door latching and locking to his administration before, but it wasn't fixed.

Proceedings will resume Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.

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