School victims: ‘The sweetest little boy I’ve ever known’

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. Some of them had just received awards for great school work.

One victim was a 10-year-old boy who loved to dance. Another was a girl who died while trying to call the police.

It is the deadliest shooting at a US elementary school since 20 children and six adults died at Sandy Hook school a decade ago.

There are 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. Hours later, they were back there.

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, aged 10, was remembered 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”.

Mr Renfro recalled the last time he had seen his grandson during the school holidays, saying that they had practised football passes together.

“Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,” Mr Renfro said. “There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practised.”

Eva Mireles, 44, was the first teacher to be confirmed killed. Trained in bilingual and special education, she had taught 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”.

According to media reports, Ms Mireles’ husband Ruben Ruiz, a police officer in the same school district, had held an active shooter drill at Uvalde High School just two months ago.

Her aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, expressed her grief in a Facebook post, saying she was “furious that these shootings continue”. Her cousin, Cristina Arizmendi Mirelez, said “it’s unimaginable… the worst nightmare ever”.

One grief-stricken parent paid tribute to Ms Mireles on Twitter.

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.

Married for 24 years, Mrs Garcia had four children and loved barbecuing with her husband and listening to music.

Her son said a friend in law enforcement who was at the scene saw his mother shielding her students as the gunman opened fire, NBC reports.

Another family member, her nephew John, wrote on social media: “My Tia [aunt] did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom”.

“IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO. She was loved by many and will truly be missed.”