Last Friday, attorneys stood in Austin’s federal courthouse to select a jury for one of the city’s most pressing civil trials in recent history, that of Alex Gonzales’ parents versus the city and APD Officer Gabriel Gutierrez. Whatever the chosen jurors decide at the trial’s end holds significant implications for transparency, accountability, and the use of lethal force in the Austin Police Department.
This trial is covering not only the shooting of Alex Gonzales by off-duty police officer Gabriel Gutierrez, but also the Austin Police Department’s subsequent investigation into what happened. The plaintiffs, Alex Gonzales Sr. and Elizabeth Gonzales, seek damages from the city for the death of their son Alex Gonzales Jr. and the allegedly inadequate investigation conducted by APD.
Kicking off this first step in the trial likely to last at least two weeks, Magistrate Judge Mark Lane and attorneys conducted jury selection June 20. Jurors will weigh the death of a man in the presence of his child (a baby who was in the backseat when Gonzales was shot outside his car). Jury selection gave both sides the chance to preempt potential juror bias that might affect the trial’s outcome.
This trial is covering not only the shooting of Alex Gonzales by off-duty police officer Gabriel Gutierrez, but also the Austin Police Department’s subsequent investigation into what happened.
Judge Lane and each attorney – Jeffrey Hinds for the plaintiffs, Albert Lopez for the defense of Officer Gutierrez, and Monte Barton for the defense of the city – asked questions that hint at the disputes likely to sit at the center of this trial. Both the plaintiff and defense teams dedicated significant time to assessing jurors’ opinions, positive or negative, about law enforcement, the city of Austin, transparency, use of lethal force, gun violence, and police accountability.
On the plaintiffs’ side, Hinds focused on police transparency, asking jurors questions about the importance of police investigations and the release of details. Meanwhile, Lopez, representing Officer Gutierrez, asked questions regarding the fairness of the trial system, of self-defense, and of how the presence of a gun impacts one’s use of deadly force. Closing the attorney’s opportunity to question potential jurors, Barton echoed Lopez’s line of questioning, asking about self-defense and individual histories with gun violence, in addition to any animosities held towards the city.
After meeting with their teams, attorneys decided on a jury of eight, consisting of five women and three men, with three of the women being people of color and the rest of the jury being white. The trial began Monday with Judge Robert Pitman presiding. Look for more coverage online and in future issues.
This article appears in June 27 • 2025.