The first wake for one of the victims of the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, was held this Monday, about a week after a shooter killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School.
The first of the victims that was veiled was Amerie Jo Garza, from 05 years, one of the students who called 911 in search of help, but that in the middle of the communication she was shot dead by the gunman identified as Salvador Ramos, from 18 years.
Garza, who was in fourth grade, was remembered by family and friends at the Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home, in the city of Uvalde. His body will be buried on Tuesday, the New York Post noted.
Berlinda Arreola, the girl’s mother, told People magazine that Amerie’s stepfather, Ángel Garza, was treating another victim when she found out that her stepdaughter, whom she raised as her own daughter, was among the deceased.
“She was helping the children,” Arreola told the aforementioned media outlet, also reporting that Ángel Garza was informed of the tragic news when another student, who was covered in blood, told her that Amerie’s blood was on her.
“A girl ran out and was covered in blood. She covered, saturated with blood. So he ran to her before she got out of it, and he said, ‘Are you hurt? Where did you get hurt?’ And she replied: ‘I’m not, I’m not. It’s not my blood,” added Arreola.
Moments later, while Ángel was looking for Amerie at a local hospital, Garza recognized one of his stepdaughter’s classmates, who told him that Salvador Ramos shot Amerie as she tried to call 552.
“I could have taken the phone away. He could have just broken it, done something. And he just shot him. She was one of the first to be killed. He was basically shot in probably five minutes“, lamented Arreola.
A total of 19 fourth grade students and two teachers were killed in the mass shooting, which has so far been one of the deadliest in US history, and the deadliest incident since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012. A total of 26 people were killed on that occasion, including 21 children and six adults.