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Texas shooting: Uvalde says goodbye at visits, funerals

UVALDE, Texas –

This should have been the first day of a fun week for Robb Elementary School students – the start of summer vacation. Instead, two of the first 19 children killed in a classroom were commemorated during the visitation.

A rally for 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza took place at Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home on Monday in Uvalde, Texas, directly across from the school where the children and two teachers were shot dead last week. when the gunman himself was shot. was killed. A visit to another 10-year-old, Maite Rodriguez, was at the town’s other funeral home.

For the next two and a half traumatic weeks, the people of this southwestern Texas town will say goodbye to the children and their teachers, ending visits, funerals and burials. As family and friends deal with their grief, investigators will try to find answers about how police responded to the May 24 shooting, and lawmakers said they will look into what has happened. can be done to prevent gun violence from pervading the nation.

This week alone, funerals are planned for 11 children and their teacher Irma Garcia.

On Monday, some of the mourners at Amerie’s funeral wore lilac or lavender – Amerie’s favorite colors – at the request of her father, Angel Garza. Many plants carry flowers, including purple ones.

The girl who loves to draw has just been given a phone for her 10th birthday. One of her friends told Angel Garza that Amerie tried to use her phone to call the police during the assault in her fourth grade classroom.

Among those mourning at Amerie’s funeral were several relatives of Maite. Like many, they attended both.

Maite’s family wears tie-dyed green shirts with illustrations showing Maite with angel wings. Before entering the funeral home, they stopped at the ditch to watch as metal gate gunman Salvador Ramos rammed a pickup truck before crossing the field and entering the school.

“How did he walk for so long?” Juana Magana, Maite’s aunt, asked.

Hillcrest Memorial itself and the shooting will be linked forever. After Ramos hit the truck, two men at the funeral home heard the crash and ran towards the scene of the accident. Ramos shot at them. He slipped and both of them made it to safety.

Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia’s funeral will take place on June 6 – the day after she is believed to turn 10. Her family prepared a huge birthday party at her grandmother’s house over the weekend. next. She was hoping to receive gifts related to the Disney movie “Encanto”.

“She loved that movie and talked a lot about it,” said her aunt, Siria Arizmendi.

Ellie is quiet even when she’s with her family but loves making videos and has been practicing choreography with her sister for her quinceanera party – a girl’s 15th birthday celebration – even though it’s 5 years away , Arizmendi said.

Ellie’s sister is fine, Arizmendi said, understanding that their family and others face a long road to recovery.

“It’s sad for all the kids,” she said.

Funeral directors, embalmers and others from all over Texas came to help. Jimmy Lucas, president of the Texas Funeral Directors Association, brought in a hearse and volunteered as a driver, serving for services or doing whatever he could, he told NBC News. Other forensic practitioners went there to help with facial reconstruction services from damage caused by the shooter’s military-style rifle.

Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a Memorial Day event in Longview, urged Texans to keep Uvalde in their prayers.

“What happened in Uvalde was an act of terrible evil,” Abbott said. “And as Texans, we must come together to uplift Uvalde and support them in any way we can. It will take time to heal the devastation that the families there are experiencing, but rest assured, we won’t get better until Uvalde recovers. ”

The US Department of Justice announced Sunday it was reviewing the law enforcement response. Police were heavily criticized for taking more than an hour to kill Ramos inside the adjoining classrooms where he massacred.

Officials revealed Friday that students and teachers repeatedly begged the 911 operator for help when a police commander asked more than a dozen officers to wait in the hallway. Officials said the commander believes the suspect has been barricaded inside an adjacent classroom and is no longer active.

The revelation raised new questions about whether lives were lost because officers did not act faster to stop the gunman, who was ultimately killed by Border Patrol tactical officers. are not.

Authorities say Ramos legally purchased two firearms shortly before the school attack: an AR-style rifle on May 17 and a second rifle on May 20. turned 18, allowing him to purchase firearms under federal law.

A day after visiting Uvalde and pledging, “We will,” in response to those chanting, “Let’s do something,” President Joe Biden on Monday expressed some optimism that there could be some bipartisan support for tightening restrictions on high-powered weapons used by gunmen.

“I think things have gotten so bad that people are becoming more rational, at least that’s my hope,” Biden told reporters before honoring the nation’s fallen. during a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery.

“The Second Amendment is never absolute,” Biden said. “You can’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment is passed. You can’t go out and buy a lot of weapons.”

A bipartisan group of senators spoke over the weekend to see if they could reach a modest compromise on gun safety legislation. Senator Chris Murphy, who is leading the effort, said: Encourage state laws to “raise red flags” to keep people with mental health issues away, while also addressing school security and mental health resources.

The group will meet again this week for a 10-day deadline to reach an agreement.


Nathan Ellgren of Uvalde and Jim Salter of O’Fallon, Missouri, contributed to this report.

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