The Uvalde police officer who was caught on video nonchalantly using hand sanitizer at Robb Elementary School while children died in a nearby classroom has been identified.
Deputy Sheriff Eric Gonzalez, who faced strong backlash for the strange act, was identified by the Daily Mail as a one-time Medal of Valor recipient for “bravery in the line of duty.”
The 30-year-old cop, who was wearing a helmet and body armor, casually pumped a hand sanitizer wall unit to clean his hands as officers roamed the hallway for more than an hour before killing the gunman, footage first obtained by the American-Statesman showed from Austin.
Viewers of the 77-minute clip were outraged by officers’ retreat and hours of inaction as 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos slaughtered 19 children and two teachers.
Social media users found Gonzalez’s act particularly repulsive.
“[S]oh let me get this straight. Uvalde officers were inside within five minutes, stood around for over an hour, made sure they got hand sanitizer…while still hearing gunshots and kids screaming,” Barstool media personality Casey Smith tweeted Sports. “What the hell are we doing here?? This is disgusting.”
As Deputy Eric Gonzalez casually pumped hand sanitizer to clean his hands, an active shooter was roaming the school. Austin, American statesman
“I’d like to hear from this Uvalde cop why he bothered to put on hand sanitizer while the shooter was killing kids twenty feet down the hall,” tweeted Cabot Phillips, senior editor at the conservative Daily Wire.
Ironically, Gonzalez was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery and gallantry in the line of duty in December 2020 after exchanging gunfire with a man during a traffic stop, according to the Uvalde Leader News.
The Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a Post inquiry. However, Sheriff Ruben Nolasco told the Daily Mail that Gonzalez was sanitizing his hands in preparation to help medics tend to injured victims.
I’d love to hear from that Uvalde cop why he bothered to put on hand sanitizer while the shooter was killing kids twenty feet down the hall pic.twitter.com/2F3oPqW3gp
— Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) July 12, 2022
However, the video does not show a medical team near the MP.
A Texas House special committee investigating the May 24 mass shooting and the police response concluded that the nearly 400 cops who appeared at the deadly scene “did not prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety ” in a scathing new report.
“No amount of hand sanitizer will wash those hands in Uvalde. Not one,” tweeted Jack Posobik, senior editor at the conservative news site Human Events.
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