The bodies of nine victims of the deadliest school shooting in the United States in nearly a decade were released at funeral homes on Wednesday evening, Judge Lalo Diaz told CNN. The rest will be released on Thursday, he said.
A cousin who responded to the scene learned that his daughter, Amerie Jo Garza, had been murdered while giving medical care to a student who dropped out of school, Angel Garza told CNN. Hysterical and covered in blood, the girl said she had seen her best friend murdered, and the girl’s name was Amerie.
As the shooting unfolded, her daughter tried to call 911 on the cell phone she had gotten two weeks ago for her 10th birthday, she said, fighting back tears and holding a framed photo of her daughter receiving a prize. honor.
“She just died trying to save her teammates,” Garza said. “She just wanted to save everyone.”
The Uvalde community joins a growing list of Americans devastated by armed violence, especially school shootings. The Robb Elementary Massacre is at least the 30th school shooting at a K-12 school this year, according to a CNN count. It is also the deadliest school shooting since 26 people were killed in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Support has flooded the community that was rocked by Tuesday’s tragedy. People cried and hugged on a Wednesday night vigil while playing “Amazing Grace.” Residents of Uvalde, Del Rio and other nearby towns also waited at least three hours to donate blood on Wednesday to replenish supplies at local hospitals, said Mohammed Sayed, donor procurement director for South Texas Blood & Tissue.
“This is something we don’t take lightly,” said 20-year-old Catherine Alvarez, who has been in line with her mother for hours even though she can’t donate blood for health reasons. “In this community we are all family and if anyone is grieving, we are all grieving.”
The tragedy in Uvalde has provoked the indignation of the families of the victims of previous armed attacks and officials who say that the lack of intervention will only lead to more attacks.
“There are people sitting in the same place in a different community (than I was). Today, tomorrow, they will be at a funeral home, unfortunately, planning a funeral,” said Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse died in Sandy Hook. . shooting, he told CNN.
Families identify loved ones they have lost
When funeral arrangements begin, a grieving nation learns of several of the victims, including teachers Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, who had taught together for five years. Garcia, a wife and mother of four, was “sweet, kind, loving,” according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to raise funds for funeral expenses and family needs. “She sacrificed herself by protecting the children in her classroom. She was a hero. Many loved her and will really miss her,” the campaign said.
Mireles had been teaching for 17 years and “was a lively soul” who “spread laughter and joy everywhere,” family member Amber Ybarra told CNN.
“She made you feel like she was just teaching your son,” said Erica Torres, whose son Stanley was in his third and fourth grade classes. “Like, there are no other students than him. She made you feel so good.”
José Flores Jr., 10, also died in the shooting, his father, José Flores Sr., said. on CNN. It was his mother’s “little shadow,” he said. José Jr. he was full of energy and loved playing baseball and video games, his father said.
Lexi Rubio, 10, had made the All-A honor roll and won a good citizen award just hours before she was shot dead, her parents Felix and Kimberly Rubio told CNN.
“We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school. We had no idea this was a goodbye,” Kimberly Rubio wrote in a Facebook post. Eliana “Ellie” Garcia, nine, was among the murders, the family. members confirmed to KHOU, a CNN affiliate. She enjoyed the movie “Charm,” animation and basketball, and dreamed of becoming a teacher, her grandparents Rogelio Lugo and Nelda Lugo told the LA Times. Third-year student Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, and her cousin died Tuesday as members of her family. confirmed KHOU, a CNN affiliate. Cousin’s name has not been released.
The shooter sent messages about his intentions before the attack
Before his commotion began, Ramos allegedly sent a message to a girl living in Germany about his intentions.
She complained that her grandmother was “on the phone with AT&T on (sic) my phone,” according to screenshots reviewed by CNN and an interview with the 15-year-old girl, whose mother gave permission for her to be interviewed. .
“It’s annoying,” he wrote.
Minutes later, he sent a text message, “I just shot my grandmother in the head,” immediately followed by the message, “I’m going to shoot an elementary school (right now).”
The girl began chatting with Ramos on a social media app on May 9, she told CNN. Ramos sent her selfie videos and talked about a plan to visit her in Europe, videos and text messages are shown.
The shooter shot in the face of his 66-year-old grandmother before driving to Robb Elementary, where he crashed his car into a nearby ditch, according to authorities. The grandmother was in serious condition on Wednesday, authorities said.
See full coverage of the deadly attack
Once at the school, he met a school district police officer, dropped a bag of ammunition, and entered the school, Sergeant. Erick Estrada of the Texas Department of Homeland Security said. Ramos then barricaded himself in two adjoining classrooms and opened fire, said DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.
The gunman was at the school 40 to 60 minutes before law enforcement stormed in and killed him, Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw said Wednesday at a news conference.
Ramos was in a clash with law enforcement for about 30 minutes after firing on students and teachers, said MP Tony Gonzales, whose district includes Uvalde.
“And then it stops, and it gets barreled. That’s where there’s a kind of calm in the action,” Gonzales told CNN. “All this, I understand, lasted about an hour, but this is where there is a kind of 30-minute calm. They feel like they’ve had a barricade. are going. “
Ramos dropped out of local high school with no known criminal or mental health record, officials said. He just turned 18 and legally bought two AR-15-style rifles and ammunition for his birthday. His grandfather did not know Ramos had weapons, he said Wednesday.
“If I had known, I would have reported it,” said Rolando Reyes.
The impact of the Uvalde shooting was felt across the country
As the number of mass shootings in America increases, survivors and families of victims of previous attacks have mobilized a network to help others cope with the trauma.
“We take their broken hands and hearts as long as we can and continue on with them for the rest of their lives if they want us there,” said Sandy Phillips, who lost her daughter almost 10 years ago. a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
“We always recommend that they initially receive the traumatic therapy they will need to treat the symptoms of PTSD they will have from that,” he told CNN. His son was one of the first to help Uvalde and had also been there the day his sister died.
As Uvalde’s families are overwhelmed with grief, Houston City officials are facing calls to cancel the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting this weekend. But the city cannot cancel its deal with the NRA, citing contractual obligations, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
However, the mayor urged lawmakers and officials not to participate in the event and said the ANR should postpone it.
“They certainly don’t have to come, and I think it would be respectful of families who are planning their children’s funerals not to come,” Turner said. “You shouldn’t come.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is scheduled to speak at the NRA conference, argued Wednesday that tougher gun laws are not a “real solution” and said state officials are discussing how to keep schools safe and address people with mental health issues.
At his press conference, the governor and other officials clashed with Democratic Gov. Beto O’Rourke.
“It’s up to you, until you decide to do something different,” O’Rourke told Abbott, calling Uvalde’s shooting predictable. “This will continue to happen. Someone must defend the children of this state or they will continue to be murdered, just as they were killed yesterday in Uvalde.”
Nationwide officials have also commented on Tuesday’s shooting, including the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who described it as “a reminder that armed violence is a serious public health threat that needs to be addressed, “according to a report. statement.
State officials beyond Texas are committed to acting in the wake of the Robb Elementary attack. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that state lawmakers plan to speed up several new weapons control bills that will go into effect late next month, he said.
In New York, which was rocked by a mass shooting in Buffalo less than two weeks ago, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to raise the minimum age for buying a gun in the state from 18 to 21, she said.
“I’m supposed to leave all the flags half-masted? They’re still half-masted from Buffalo. No, I don’t want to,” Hochul told a news conference Wednesday. “So let’s take advantage of this anger, let’s talk about what we can do. Let’s work with our legislators.”
CNN’s Nikki Carvajal, Dakin Andone, Jamiel Lynch, Andy Rose, Elizabeth Joseph, Sara Smart, Amanda Jackson, Carroll Alvarado, Maegan Vazquez, John Bonifield, Isabele Chapman, Daniel A. Medina, Curt Devine, Jeff Winter, Priscilla Alvarez, Joe Sutton, Jennifer Henderson and Gregory Krieg contributed to this report.