Uvalde Sgt. Says He Ignored 'Odd' Request For 'Permission To Fire'

Video Description

One of the biggest moments of former Uvalde, Texas police Sgt. T. Daniel Coronado's testimony today occurred when he said he heard another officer ask him for "permission to fire," but he didn't answer because he doesn't know why he would think he needed to seek permission. Coronado testified he heard Officer Saucedo ask him “Permission to fire?” but didn’t respond. “When that request came to you, did that seem odd to you?” Prosecutor Bill Turner asked in direct-examination today (Thursday, January 15, day 7). “It did seem odd to me, yes, sir, Coronado answered. “Explain that to the jury,” Turner said. “Well, typically, when you're being shot at … if you do see an individual with a gun, I've never been asked or have ever heard of anyone asking for permission to fire,” Coronado testified. “I don't know what he was thinking or what, why he said that.” Coronado said he couldn’t see Saucedo’s “backdrop” and Turner asked, “Would it have been irresponsible for you to give him direction not knowing the specifics of his backdrop?” “Yeah, absolutely,” Coronado answered. Coronado said it happened “within one or two or three seconds.” “I was trying to comprehend what was going on. I was getting a lot of information. I was trying to determine where this guy was. And in the middle of all that, he says, ‘I think I see him. Permission to fire.’ … Then at that point that I heard the individuals yelling, ‘He's going towards the school.’ and I left and drove towards the front of the school. Does that make sense?” Coronado testified. “Yes, sir,” Turner said. Turner didn’t ask why Coronado didn’t ask Saucedo what he saw, but Coronado isn’t the one on trial. The defendant is Adrian Gonzales, a former officer with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District who’s charged with 29 counts of child endangerment or abandonment under Texas state law, one count for each of the 19 children who were murdered and 10 who were injured inside Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Pete Arredondo, the former school police chief, is charged with 10 counts, one for each child who was injured but survived. He is scheduled for trial after Gonzales' trial.