‘MY HEART WILL
What we know about the victims
UVALDE, Texas — A bubbly teacher who loved to hike and play with her three “furry friends.” A 10-year-old who was often seen riding his bike down the street where his family lived. A 9-yearold who loved to play basketball and was the team's “hype girl.”
Details are beginning to emerge about the 21 people, including 19 young children, who were killed after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, about 85 miles west of San Antonio, and opened fire Tuesday.
Police said the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, likely was killed by responding officers.
Many of the children had just attended an awards ceremony at their school the morning of the shooting. The last photos many parents have of their kids are ones of them beaming, holding “A-B Honor Roll” and “Perfect Attendance” certificates.
They were just two days away from summer break. Days away from going to cheerleading camp, taking swim lessons, going on vacations to the beach and taking trips to grandma's house for the summer.
Instead, their families will be planning their funerals.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said it's likely that most of them died in the same classroom, after the shooter barricaded himself inside.
Here's everything we know about the Uvalde victims so far:
Eva Mireles, 44
Mireles, a fourth-grade teacher, had been an educator for 17 years, according to the school's website. She enjoyed running and hiking, and she recently had begun riding a bike.
Ruiz was married to a police officer with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and had one daughter, Adalynn. She also had three “furry friends” — Callie, Kane and Koda.
“I want to hear you talking to our dogs with that silly voice you make so high that wakes everyone up in the morning,” Adalynn Ruiz wrote on Facebook.
Ruiz said on social media that her mother also loved Cross Fit — so much so that she developed calluses on her hand from working out so much.
The mother-daughter duo also enjoyed singing karaoke together — Mireles particularly liked singing Rihanna's “Diamonds” at the top of her lungs, Ruiz said.
Ruiz said her mother “selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives.”
“I keep telling myself that this isn't real,” Ruiz wrote. “I just want to hear your voice ... My heart will forever be broken. My best friend, my twin was taken from me.”
Irma Garcia, 48
Garcia, who had been a teacher for 23 years, had been teaching in the same classroom as Mireles for five years, according to the school's website.
Garcia and her husband, Jose, had been married for 24 years, and they had four children together: Cristian, Jose, Lylianna and Alysandra.
She loved barbecue, listening to music and taking trips to Concan, she wrote on the school's website.
“She passed away with children in her arms trying to protect them,” John Martinez, her nephew, wrote on Twitter. “Those weren't just her students, they were her kids as well.”
“She was teacher of the year, and was loved by so many,” Martinez continued. “She's gone but the world will never forget her name.”
Xavier Javier Lopez, 10
Lucinda Velazquez lives in a house directly behind Xavier.
Velazquez said he loved to ride his bike around the neighborhood and play with other kids on the street.
“He was a handsome little boy, and he was just so respectful,” Velazquez said.
A window in Xavier's home next door had a “perfect attendance” poster stuck to it, facing the dirt road.
Ellie Garcia, 9
Ellie played basketball with the Tree City Youth Basketball League, where she wore No. 21.
Her father posted on Facebook that the day the team won first place was the happiest day of Ellie's life.
A Uvalde resident and friend, Erica Mena, said in a social media post that “Ellie was our hype girl and the heart of the team, she never missed a practice and was the loudest when it came to cheering for her team! She was never in a bad mood and gave it her all on and off the court.”
Jessica Turner, a friend of the family, had watched her children and Ellie grow up together. She said her heart is so absolutely broken from the events in a post.
“These kiddos didn't play much the older they got, but sweet Ellie always would sneak over to hug my sweet boy and I will always cherish all the fun memories I have with all the kids at Aunt Jessie's,” she posted.
“I've watched Janelle and Ellie grow from babies to beautiful young ladies.”
Tess Marie Mata, 10
Tess was dearly loved by her parents and her older sister, Faith. She was in fourth grade and played softball.
Her sister posted on Facebook that she never thought she'd be typing a post like the one she did, that she honestly had no words — just sadness, confusion and anger.
“Sissy, I miss you so much, I just want to hold you and tell you how pretty you are, I want to take you outside and practice softball, I want to go on one last family vacation, I want to hear your contagious laugh, and I want you to hear me tell you how much I love you,” she said.
“Tessy, mom, dad and I won't be the same without you, but we are comforted knowing you are waiting for us up in heaven and have a spot for us,” she continued.
Kylie Sendejo was Tess's softball coach this year and posted on social media that Tess was the spitting image of her sister, Faith, and that Tess always told her she wanted to play second base because that's what Faith played.
“Tess Marie Mata, you were a light that lit up every room you walked into,” said Sendejo. “I'll always remember you dancing and making me laugh so much and always cheering for your sister and I in softball.”
Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio, 10
The day of the shooting, Lexi's parents came to Robb Elementary to watch the school recognize Lexi for the all-A honor roll and award her with the good citizen award.
In a Facebook post, Kimberly Mata-Rubo, her mother, said that they told her they loved her and would pick her up after school.
“We had no idea this was goodbye,” she said.
Lexi was on the Tree City Youth Basketball team along with Ellie Garcia, another child killed in the shooting. On the basketball team, friend and Uvalde resident Erica Ramos posted that Lexi “was our quiet one, but boy when it came to game time she was aggressive and made every basket look so easy.”
She also participated in softball.
Kylie Sendejo, who also coached Tess Marie Mata, said she was honored that she got the chance to get to know her and coach her.
“This baby was amazing and I told her every chance I got that she could be anything she wanted to be, especially a softball player,” Sendejo said. “She would swing for the fences every time she got up to the plate and I always told her to never stop.”
When she heard about Lexi's passing, her cousin went to Twitter with a little emoji of a basketball. “Rest easy little hooper,” she said.
Eliahana ‘Elijah’ Cruz Torres, 10
Elijah loved to play softball.
Elijah's aunt, in an interview posted on the Softball is for Girls' Facebook page, said that Elijah was very excited about her softball game, which was scheduled for later Tuesday.
It was her last game and she didn't want softball to end, her aunt said.
“She was excited because they were gonna, I guess, announce the ones that made it to all stars. And (Elijah) was saying, ‘what if I make it? I'm gonna be so nervous.' And I was like ‘girl you got this. You're gonna be good at it. You got this.' So she was excited.”
Jose Flores, 10
Christopher Salazar told the Washington Post that his nephew, 10-year-old Jose, loved to play baseball and going to school.
On Tuesday, hours before the shooting, Jose received an award for making the honor roll.
“I'm going to miss you baby Jose,” Salazar wrote on Facebook. “I still can't believe this happened ... rest in paradise my beautiful angel.”
Layla Salazar, 10
Layla was a runner — she had won six races at her school's field day, her father told the Associated Press. She liked to dance to TikTok videos and sing along with her dad to the Guns N' Roses song “Sweet Child O' Mine” on the way to school. “Our family is devastated,” her father, Vincent Salazar, wrote on GoFundMe. “If people knew how much we truly miss our daughter, they would wonder how we're still breathing … she will live within the beat of my heart forever.”
Layla Salazar
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Amerie Jo was described as “super-outgoing” and a “teacher's pet” who liked going to school.
Amerie's grandmother, Berlinda Irene Arreola, told The Daily Beast that she was shot and killed as she tried to dial 911.
“She died a Hero trying to get help for her and her fellow classmates,” Arreola wrote in a text message to The Daily Beast.
“Thank you everyone for the prayers and help trying to find my baby. She's been found,”Amerie's father, Angel Garza, wrote early Wednesday morning. “My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don't take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you Amerie jo. Watch over your baby brother for me.”
Uziyah Garcia, 8
Uziyah was described as “the sweetest little boy that I've ever known” by his grandfather, Manny Renfro, in an interview with the Associated Press.
“I'm not just saying that because he was my grandkid,” Renfro told the AP.
Renfro said Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo during spring break.
Uziyah's aunt, Nikki Cross, posted Tuesday afternoon on Facebook that she was looking desperately for her nephew, saying she had heard some students were running from the school into neighboring houses.
She had hoped her nephew might be one of them.
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11, Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Jailah and Jayce were cousins who were in the same class.
“My baby you didn't deserve this neither did your classmates