Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Gonzalez – who faced intense backlash for the oddly timed act – was recognized by the Daily Mail as a one-time recipient of a Medal of Valor for “bravery in the line of duty”. The 30-year-old officer, who was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest, nonchalantly pumped the hand sanitizer wall unit to clean his hands as officers pondered around the hallway for more than an hour before taking out the shooter. the Austin-American Statesman showed. Viewers of the 77-minute video were outraged by the officers’ retreat and idle time as 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos slaughtered 19 children and two teachers. Social media users found Gonzalez’s act particularly disgusting. “[S]o let me get this straight. Uvalde officers were inside in five minutes, stood around for over an hour, made sure to get HAND SANITIZER … while still hearing gunshots and kids screaming,” tweeted Barstool Sports personality Kayce Smith . “What the F— are we doing here?? This is infuriating.” Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Gonzalez nonchalantly pumped the hand sanitizer wall unit to clean his hands, an active shooter roaming the school. Austin American Politician “I would love to hear from this Uvalde police officer why he was worried about putting on hand sanitizer while a shooter was slaughtering children twenty feet down the hall,” tweeted Cabot Phillips, senior editor at the Daily Wire, a conservative outlet. Ironically, Gonzalez was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and bravery 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 treat the injured victims. I’d love to hear from this Uvalde police officer why he was worried about putting on hand sanitizer while a shooter was slaughtering children twenty feet down the hall pic.twitter.com/2F3oPqW3gp — Cabot Phillips (@cabot_philips) July 12, 2022 No medical team, however, is seen near the deputy in the video. A Texas House special panel investigating the May 24 mass shooting and police response concluded that the nearly 400 officers who appeared at the deadly scene “failed to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety” in a scathing new exhibition. “No amount of hand sanitizer is going to wash those hands off at Uvalde. None,” tweeted Jack Posobic, editor-in-chief of the conservative news site Human Events.
