The parent of a Uvalde, Texas, school shooting victim said on social media that he was “assaulted” by police outside a Uvalde courtroom Thursday.
“We weren’t even allowed to make it into the court room,” Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah died in the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, tweeted Thursday on X. “My wife and I were assaulted by the sheriffs dept. We are currently at the doctors, having our wounds tended to.”
Cross and his wife, Nikki, tried to enter the courtroom for a pre-trial hearing, where the judge heard arguments to dismiss a child endangerment charge against former school district police chief Pete Arredondo’s, who has pleaded not guilty. The judge denied that motion to dismiss, according to KENS-TV in San Antonio. Adrian Gonzales, a former school district police officer, who was one of the first officers to arrive at the school on the day of the massacre, was also charged with child endangerment and has pleaded not guilty.
San Antonio TV station WOAI caught Brett and Nikki Cross’s clash with police officers on camera. In the footage, as police are escorting Brett Cross away from the courtroom, he throws his hands up and appears to say, “Fuck off.” A police officer touches him as Brett Cross yells, “Keep your hands off of me.” Brett Cross falls to the ground and several officers hold him down, including one officer who appears to hold his knee to Brett Cross’s chest. Nikki Cross tries to intervene, yelling, “What are you doing?” Police officers are seen trying to move her away from her husband as she falls onto her back.
Brett and Nikki Cross told WOAI that while they were trying to enter the courtroom, Nikki Cross said “What the fuck ever” when she was told to move back while removing her jewelry. She was then told she had to leave.
“They started surrounding [Nikki],” Brett Cross told WOAI. “So I walked up and said, ‘Y’all better not fucking touch her.’ And then y’all just saw what happened.”
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Nineteen children and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022, after a lone gunman entered the elementary school and began firing. Dozens of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies gathered at the school during the massacre, but it took more than an hour before anyone confronted the gunman, a former student. Arredondo was later fired as school police chief.
The Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.