The victims fatally shot at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday include 19 children — at least three of whom were in fourth grade — and two teachers trying to protect them, relatives told news outlets.
The students and teachers were still days after the end of the school year when they were fatally shot Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, west of San Antonio.
Eva Mireles, who taught fourth grade, had been a teacher for 17 years, according to her profile at Robb Elementary.
Mireles “tried to protect her students” from the shooter, a relative told The New York Times†
Lydia Martinez Delgado, Mireles’ aunt, said her niece was an avid hiker who took pride in teaching students Latino heritage, The Times reported.
Martinez Delgado told KSAT-TV of San Antonio that she was “furious” at the shooting and others, saying, “These children are innocent. Guns shouldn’t be readily available to everyone. This is my hometown a small community of less than 20,000. I never thought this would happen especially to loved ones.”
Mireles’ co-teacher, Irma Garcia, has been murdered, according to her son, Christian Garcia.
Irma Garcia taught at the school for 23 years, according to her school profile. She had four children and loved to barbecue with her husband and listen to music.
Her son said a friend of the police who was on the scene saw Garcia shielding her students.
Three fourth-graders were also among the dead, relatives confirmed to news outlets.
Uziyah Garcia was identified by his aunt, Nikki Cross, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported†
Xavier Lopez, 10, was at an awards ceremony with his mother hours before the shooting. KSAT reported:†
The father of 9-year-old Amerie Jo Garza identified her as one of the victims to NBC News. She was about to finish fourth grade, according to… KSAT.
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, a third-grade student was murdered, relatives told I LOVE from Houston.
The 15 other children those killed were not immediately identified.
“My heart was broken today,” Hal Harrell, the superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School, told reporters. “We are a small community. And we need your prayers to help us through this.”
The gunman allegedly shot his grandmother before driving to the school and “shooting everyone in front of him,” Texas Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez said.
The grandmother was hospitalized in critical condition, he said.
More than a dozen other people, including children and law enforcement officers, were also injured.
Janelle Griffith† Kurt Chirbas† Irene Byon and Sara Mhaidlic contributed†
