A teacher who died a “hero” trying to protect her young students and two groups of 10-year-old cousins are among the victims identified in a shooting at a school in Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers on Tuesday.
Eva Mireles, 44, and Irma Garcia, 46, have been identified by their families as the two teachers killed in the attack on Rob Elementary School.
The identities of the child victims have been confirmed as eight-year-old Uzzia Garcia; Eliana “Eli” Lugo-Garcia, 9 years old; 10-year-old Ameri Joe Garza, Makena Lee Elrod, Xavier James Lopez, Jose Flores, Navajo Bravo, Alicia Ramirez, Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio, Eliahana “Elijah” Cruz Torres, Tess Marie Mata, Rogelio Torres, Leyla Salazri, Maite cousins Jaila Nicole Silgero and Jace Carmelo Luevanos and cousins Jackie Jalen Cazares and Anabel Guadalupe Rodriguez; and 11-year-old Miranda Mathis.
They were all shot in one of the classrooms of the primary school after the shooter barricaded himself, said a spokesman for the Texas Public Safety Department, Lieutenant Chris Olivares.
Ms. Mireles’ husband is a police officer in the school district. Her cousin and grandmother told her on social media that they were devastated by the loss and furious at the violence with weapons that has engulfed the country.
“My beautiful cousin! Such a devastating day for all of us! “My heart is broken into a million pieces,” said Arizmendi Mireles.
Ms. Mireles was a bilingual special education teacher with 17 years of experience as an educator and taught fourth-graders at the school.
Describing herself on the school’s website, she said she is the mother of a college graduate and loves “running, hiking” with her “fun and loving” family.
Tuesday’s shooting is the deadliest in a primary school in the United States in nearly a decade since the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which killed 20 children and six adults.
The shooter, named 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was wearing armor and a pistol and rifle, all of which are available at a Texas retailer, which expanded access to weapons last year.
The incident shook Uwalde, a small town of about 16,000 people located 130 km (80 miles) west of San Antonio.
Grieving the death of her niece, Mireles’ aunt Lydia Martinez Delgado called for stricter gun laws and said rifles should not be so easily accessible.
Eva Mireles has been an educator for 17 years
(Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District)
“I am angry that these shootings continue. These children are innocent. Rifles should not be easily accessible to everyone. This is my hometown, a small community of less than 20,000 people. “I never imagined that this would happen to loved ones,” said Martinez Delgado in a statement.
“All we can do is pray diligently for our country, our state, our schools and especially everyone’s families,” the statement said.
Ms. Mireles’ husband took part in an active shooting training at Uwalde High School just two months ago. The chilling photos shared on his Facebook page show Mr Ruiz and his fellow officers posing as active shooters while students play dead on the floor.
The second adult victim of the shooting, Mrs. Garcia, was confirmed by her nephew John.
“My family failed, she sacrificed herself to protect the children in her classroom, please keep my family, including her whole family in everyone’s prayers, Irma Garcia is her name and she died a hero,” her nephew tweeted.
“She was loved by many and will really miss her.”
The identities of the children killed in the shooting continued to be revealed on Wednesday, with the deaths of eight-year-old Uzia and Xavier, 10, being the first to be confirmed by their families late on the day of the shooting.
Uzziah’s grandfather, Manny Renfro, mourned the death of the eight-year-old, calling him “the cutest little boy I’ve ever known.”
9-year-old Uzia Garcia has been identified as one of the victims of the shooting
(AP)
“I’m not saying this just because he was my grandson,” Mr Renfro said, adding that Uzzia had last visited him in San Angelo during spring break.
“We started throwing football together and I taught him to pass models. He was such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so well, ”he recalls. “There were certain plays that I would call he would remember and he would do it exactly as we practiced.
The Texas Attorney General has called for teachers to be armed after the Uwalde massacre
Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, Texas, said her cousin Xavier was looking forward to a summer swim. The photos were taken two days before the end of the school year.
“He was just a loving 10-year-old boy, just enjoying life without knowing that this tragedy would happen today,” she said. “He was very cheerful, he loved to dance with his brothers, his mother. It has just affected us all. ”
Complaining about the country’s weak gun laws, she said: “We need to have more restrictions, especially if these children are not in the right state of mind and all they want to do is just hurt people, especially innocent children who walk. of schools. ”
Xavier James Lopez, 10, looking forward to summer swimming
(family material)
Angel Garza, Ameri’s father, confirmed her death in a Facebook post.
“Thank you all for your prayers and help in trying to find my baby,” he wrote. “She was found. My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please do not take a second for granted. Embrace your family. Tell them you love them. I love you, Amery Joe. Take care of your little brother for me. ”
10-year-old Ameri Joe Garza was identified as one of the victims by her father Angel Garza
(Facebook)
The death of Jose Flores was confirmed by his uncle Christopher Salazar, reported The Washington Post. Hours before the shooting, the boy received an award for making the honorary roll.
The fourth-grader, his uncle says, loved to play baseball and was a “very happy little boy.” “He was very smart,” Mr Salazar said. “He was not a child looking for trouble.”
Jose Flores received an award for making the honor roll hours before the shooting, his uncle said
(Family / Facebook)
Family members Anabel Guadalupe Rodriguez and Eli Lugo-Garcia have confirmed the deaths of their daughters, hours after calling for missing persons.
Annabel, a third-grader, was in the same classroom with her cousin Jackie Casares, 10, Houston’s KHOU reported. Her parents reported her missing and frantically searched for her.
Polly Flores, Jackie’s aunt and Annabel’s great-grandmother, told The New York Times that Jackie had recently celebrated her first communion and was more social than the 10-year-old couple.
In a shocking Facebook post, Jackie’s father shared a photo of his daughter in what appears to be a recent photo of her communion, taken just two weeks before her untimely death.
“There are a few chosen ones who will not kiss or hug our babies tonight. “My little girl was taken from my family and I,” wrote Jacinto Casares. “We are ruined in a way, I hope no one will ever pass. Taken from arms and lives, in this cowardly cowardly way, so young, so innocent, full of life and love. It hurts our souls. “
Jennifer Lugo and Stephen Garcia wrote a post on Facebook, describing their daughter Ellie as “a doll … the happiest [child] sometime”.
Eli Lugo-Garcia, 10, was at the school when the shooting took place
(family material)
“It is difficult to make a statement about something at the moment, my mind is moving at 1000 miles per hour … but I want to send our thoughts and prayers to those who also did not return tonight !!!” – said Mr. Garcia.
“Mom and Dad love that you never forget that, and please try to stay with us.”
Hours after the shooting, some families still had no idea of their children’s whereabouts, posted photos of them online and asked for information.
Navaeh Bravo, a fourth-grader, was also confirmed by her cousin on Facebook as the search for the missing girl from the family ended.
“Thank you all for the prayers, our Nevai has been found! She flies with the angels above. We love you very much Nevae, princess! I ask everyone to continue to protect her parents and our family in your prayer, “wrote Emily Grace Ayala.
Alicia Ramirez’s father, Rob, a primary school student who has just celebrated his tenth birthday in late April and is looking forward to summer vacation, posted on Facebook late Tuesday night, drawing on his community to help find his daughter. .
10-year-old Alitia Ramirez was confirmed by family members on Facebook that she was one of the 19 children killed
(Facebook)
“I’m trying to find my daughter Alicia. I called all the hospitals and nothing, “he wrote in a post shared by dozens of friends and family members online.
A relative of the Ramirez family confirmed to The Independent on Wednesday that Alitia was one of the victims killed in Tuesday’s attack.
In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Alexandria’s mother Ania Rubio, 10, noted the memory of her “beautiful” and “smart” daughter.
“Alexandria Ania Rubio was recognized today as an All-A honorary list. She also received the award for good citizen. We told her we loved her and would take her after school. We had no idea it was a goodbye, “the mother wrote.
Alexandria Lexi Rubio, 10, was one of 19 children killed
(Facebook / Kimberly Mata-Rubio)
A close family friend of Rubio confirmed to The Independent that Alexandria, called “Lexi” by friends and family members, was one of the children killed.
Ten-year-old Eliahana Elijah Cruz Torres has been remembered by her softball community as a good man and a generous athlete as publications began to spill over after news broke that the dedicated athlete was also one of 19 children killed.
The local news station 1813.com confirmed …
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