‘Hand sanitizer’ cop identified as Uvalde County Sheriff's Deputy

The Uvalde cop that was seen dispensing hand sanitizer as a lone gunman massacred 19 children and two teachers inside Robb Elementary School in May has been identified as 30-year-old Eric Gonzales, a Uvalde County Sheriff's Deputy.

Daily Mail exclusively reported Gonzales' identity after the sheriff's deputy was photographed while attending mass on Sunday with his wife and two children at the Getty Street Church of Christ in Uvalde, Texas.

He was later seen driving to a local Dairy Queen where he spent around 30 minutes in the parking lot before driving home, the outlet reports.

When Gonzales arrived at his personal residence, a Daily Mail reporter questioned the deputy on why he felt the need to use hand sanitizer instead of saving kids from the gunman inside the classroom.

Gonzales reportedly did not provide an answer and waved the reporter off. He then instructed his family to go inside the home, according to Daily Mail.

In the 77-minute video of the Robb Elementary School massacre that was released last week, Gonzales can be seen dispensing hand sanitizer in the school hallway while wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet. The deputy's actions– or inactions–have caused outrage across the nation.

"Would love to hear from this Uvalde cop why he was worried about putting on hand sanitizer while a shooter was massacring kids twenty feet down the hall," Cabot Phillips said on Twitter following the release of surveillance video.

Gonzales lives with his wife and two kids in Uvalde, just two miles from Robb Elementary School, DailyMail reports.

In December 2020, Deputy Gonzales received a bronze star for valor and bravery in the line of duty.