By Aaron Miller-
Nineteen children and two teachers have been killed in a shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The children who died were aged between seven and 10, and some of them had just received awards for great school work.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Xavier Javier Lopez ‘s(pictured) murder at age 10, was one of the most painful in the chaotic killing spree in the Texas school. Lopez’s cousin described the 10 year old as a keen swimmer by his cousin, 54-year-old Lisa Garza.
“He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,” she said.
“He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.”
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Authorities said the shooter entered Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, at approximately 11:32 a.m. local time, after shooting his grandmother and crashing his vehicle near the school. An official from the Texas Department of Public Safety said that upon entering the school, the shooter fired at “children, teachers, whoever was in his way.”
“He was shooting everybody,” the official said.
Olivarez told CBS News that the shooter’s grandmother was in critical condition as of Wednesday morning.
The suspect, who was wearing body armor, exchanged fire with law enforcement officials and multiple officers were shot, the official said. The suspect was eventually fatally shot on the scene.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the shooter was an 18-year-old male who resided in Uvalde, which is about an hour and a half west of San Antonio. He said the suspect, who he named as Salvador Ramos, abandoned his vehicle, then entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle and “horrifically, incomprehensibly” opened fire.
Over a dozen children were also hurt in the attack, including a ten-year-old girl taken to hospital , and a 66-year-old woman – believed to be Ramos’s grandmother who he shot at the start of his killing spree – was in the same hospital, also in critical.
The teenager saved nearly $5,000 to buy two AR-15 guns and three hundred rounds of ammunition after turning 18 last week. He is believed to have had pre-existing mental health illness which was exacerbated by bullying; and was raging with a demented level of anger.
It has now been revealed that the shooter was known to police because of his violent arguments with his drug-addict mother.
Deadliest
The shooting is the deadliest at a US elementary school since 20 children and six adults died at Sandy Hook school a decade ago. One victim was a 10-year-old boy who loved to dance. Another was a girl who died while trying to call the police.
An uncle of one of the dead confirmed that his nephew was a victim of a school shooting today,’ Garcia’s uncle Mitch Renfro wrote on Facebook, adding that he ‘was killed by a crazy man.’
Makenna Lee Elrod, 10, was also confirmed dead by a family friend late Tuesday night.
Other disturbing news about the shooting includes unconfirmed reports that two children from the same family were killed. Some parents were at the school hours before the shooting, watching with pride as their children held up their honour roll certificates at an awards ceremony.
Amerie Jo Garza was one of the first children to be confirmed dead. She had celebrated her 10th birthday just two weeks ago, and was shot while trying to call emergency services, her grandmother Berlinda Irene Arreola told The Daily Beast.
Amerie was “super-outgoing” and a “teacher’s pet”, she added.
A family member wrote on Facebook: “Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them.”
Xavier Javier Lopez’s cousin described the 10 year old as a keen swimmer by his cousin, 54-year-old Lisa Garza.
“He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,” she said.
“He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.”
Uziyah Garcia, 8, was remembered by his grandfather, Manny Renfro, as the “sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known”.
Eva Mireles, 44, was the first teacher to be confirmed killed. She had been a teacher of fourth-grade students in the Uvalde school district for 17 years.
In a short biography posted on the school district’s website, she described her love of running and hiking. She also said she had “a supportive, fun, and loving family” – her husband, her college graduate daughter and “three furry friends”.
The second teacher killed in the attack was Irma Garcia, 46, who taught at Robb Elementary for 23 years. She had been nominated as a teacher of the year by her school district in 2019. She and Ms Mireles had worked together for five years.
She lives behind four children and was outgoing with a love for music and holding barbecues.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar