AJ and Orona: The Little Girl Who Shoots a Little Girl from the Elementary School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas
With a child’s powerful, if fanciful, belief in his own abilities, he tells her he wishes he could have run outside to get help or to rescue his classmates from the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
AJ heard the officers just outside the classroom door. Jaydien did the same. His mother said he recalls when the children were asked by police to call for help. But a girl who did just that caught the attention of the gunman, who then shot her dead.
Noah was afraid that he was too tall to get under the table with Jaydien. He was shot in the back and fell to the floor.
A person is hiding under backpacks. Jaydien and a friend took cover under a table with a curtain and tried to get others to join them as they closed their eyes and covered their ears against the horror.
Until law enforcement officers opened the door and confronted the attacker, they only had to stay for 77 minutes.
The sounds and sights were described to Orona by Noah. “One of the little girls that he was lying by, all he could hear was her gurgling because she was trying to breathe, but she couldn’t because she was shot and you could just hear her choking,” she said.
Chavez saw him in the hospital, covered in blood, likely from him lying on the floor. “I just saw my son’s face with blood on it. So, where is he bleeding from? The doctor said he was fine. That’s not his,’” she said.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/11/us/uvalde-massacre-child-survivors-moms/index.html
What happened to the last student killed in a school shooting? An interview with D.C. Orona and D.J. Rodriguez
In Uvalde, Austin and other places, there are arguments and anger over how long it took for authorities to enter the classroom. What officers were doing while the gunman was inside the classrooms remains largely unclear, and some officials have questioned the trustworthiness of the various investigations working to understand what went wrong.
Scenes from the day are replayed for the parents as well. Chavez told her son what it was like when families rushed to catch a glimpse of the gunfire.
We are out there waiting for something to happen. News of you coming out and you’re there laying on the ground bleeding while all the police officers are there standing in the hallway,” she told AJ.
“You would think things are getting back to normal – as people assume that they are – just because (my son) is alive and here, but it’s not like that,” said Orona. “My son has trouble sleeping, being in a big crowd, anything loud scares him, being by himself.”
She continued: “Of course we feel blessed because he is here … but every day it’s a struggle. It is something that is not going to get cured in a week.
Azeneth Rodriguez said her son is going to remember what he did that day and stick to it for the rest of his life.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/11/us/uvalde-massacre-child-survivors-moms/index.html
What Happened to Jaydien and Orona Rodriguez in a Child’s Life after the Orlando Shooting: She Was Not Sorry
He asked what the smell was when we were barbecuing the other day. Orona said of her son, Noah. I was wondering what was wrong. He said that he could smell the smoky smell in the classroom.
Jaydien asked to speak to CNN to give his version of what went wrong at the school. He said the police officers would never have done it if they had more people.
He wants cops everywhere to stop violence, but his mom can’t afford anything, so it’s hard.
Rodriguez has not been to work since the day of the shooting. She went to find financial assistance that no one called or offered.
Many things will be included in those bills including medical visits, therapy, and other things that the families can’t even comprehend at the moment.
Orona said that it was something that did not have time to say, “OK, give us enough for a month or a year or something.” Our children are no longer the same, as they will have issues for the rest of their lives. They’re not like they used to be.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/11/us/uvalde-massacre-child-survivors-moms/index.html
What Happens When a Child is Born: Sometimes I Stop and I’m Going to Break Down, But I Can’t Stop Crying
Some parents of surviving children have even apologized to the families of the dead for their own sons and daughters being alive. CNN spoke to the mothers who said that they had never done a media interview before so they wouldn’t be able to give attention to the families that had lost loved ones.
Orona believes that her son had a purpose. Rodriguez believes something bad could happen to Jaydien at any time. Chavez says she does all she can to care and not neglect her other two children.
I said to be strong for my son when that happened, because I shut down. It has been difficult. Sometimes I just want to cry but I can’t let that happen. “I cannot bring myself to cry right now. It could be a couple of months before I break down. It’s too hard for me.
Jacinto Cazares, the father of a student at a school shooting, says the incident was a “realistic tragedy”
The Washington Post quoted Jacinto Cazares as saying he and other men who had children at the school were at the scene after he heard about the incident. He said he wanted to rush into the building as soon as he heard the gunshots coming from inside the school.
The family members of the people killed in the massacre shared their memories and photos, as well as their big dreams that brought them joy.
Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares was killed along with her cousin, friend and classmate Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, according to posts by her family on social media.
She was a person who was full of life and love. She would do anything for anybody,” Cazares’ father Jacinto Cazares told reporters in a video distributed by Reuters. She is a little bit rambunctious for me, man. It comforts me a little bit to think she would be the one to help her friends in need.”
It was a year ago that he lost a family member and the event brought him together. “And now, we’re being brought together, but it is in tragedy.”
“There were five or six of (us) fathers, hearing the gunshots, and (police officers) were telling us to move back,” Cazares told the paper. We weren’t interested in us. We wanted to destroy the building. We were saying, ‘Let’s go’ because that is how worried we were, and we wanted to get our babies out.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/victims-uvalde-texas-school-shooting/index.html
A Conversation with Victim Jose Flores Sr. After 25 Years and a Heart Attack, Martinez’s GoFundMe Post
“Her smile would light up a room,” Allison McCullough, Makenna’s aunt, told ABC. She said Makenna loved gymnastics and played softball for her family. She loved school and was a natural leader. McCullough described her niece as “a light to all who knew her.”
10-year-old Jose Flores Jr. was an amazing kid and big brother to his siblings, his father Jose Flores Sr. told CNN. And he loved baseball and video games.
Jose Jr. wanted to be a police officer when he grew up because he wanted to protect others. His mother, Cynthia Flores, remembered how he would always help her around the house, especially when it came to his baby brother.
She told Gary Tuchman that he would be like her little shadow. “He would just be helping me with the baby. He had a thing with babies, like my friends’ babies. He was fond of babies. He was always nice.”
Jose Jr.’s sister Endrea Flores was also in the fourth grade at Robb Elementary, though Endrea was in a different class than her brother. She said that her older brother would always play with her and that he would always support her.
The LA Times talked to the grandparents that said she was a fourth grade girl at the school and the daughter of two girls.
Irma Garcia was a teacher, a wife and mother to four children, according to a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for her funeral expenses and family needs.
“I want her to be remembered as someone who sacrificed her life and put her life on the line for her kids,” Martinez told the paper. They were not just her students. She lost her life to protect those kids, she put her life on the line. That was the kind of person she was.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio revealed that Joe had a fatal heart attack two days after his wife died. His family believes he died of a broken heart.
“Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers,” the GoFundMe post said. “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/victims-uvalde-texas-school-shooting/index.html
Uziyah Renfro: A Sweet Little Boy Who Came Through Trouble in High-Energy School Shooting (the Story of Eva Mireles)
According to her bio on the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District website, she had been an educator for 23 years. Her co-teaching partner, Eva Mireles, who was killed in the massacre, had been with her for five years.
According to Renfro, Uziyah was full of life. He loved video games and anything with wheels. He leaves behind two sisters.
The sweetest little boy I have ever seen, according to his grandfather. I am not just saying that because he was my grand kid.
Uziyah last visited his grandfather in San Angelo during his spring break. Renfro remembers throwing around a football with his grandson and how quickly he got into the sport.
We started throwing the football, and I was teaching him passes. Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,” Renfro said. I would call certain plays that he would remember and then he would do it the same way as we practiced.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/victims-uvalde-texas-school-shooting/index.html
Amery Jo Garza, 24, and Jayce Luevanos: A 16-Year-Old Samaritaritan who was Shot in the Arm at Robb Elementary
Amerie Jo Garza had recently just turned 10 years old, and her family had fulfilled her birthday wishes by gifting her a phone, her father Angel Garza told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Wednesday.
During the shooting, his daughter tried to use her new phone to call authorities. He is a med aide, he explained, and when he responded to the scene, he saw a girl covered in blood who told him that someone had shot her best friend.
We are all very upset by the Robb School shooting. It breaks my heart having to create a fundraiser for such a need but Jayce’s parents, Christina and Jose Luevanos need as much help as possible in these terrible times,” Jesus Cardona, who organized the verified GoFundMe campaign, said on the site.
Luevanos’ grandfather Carmelo Quiroz told USA Today that the 10-year-old and his mother lived with him. He said Jayce was happy and loved. The baby was ours, saidQuiroz.
Veronica Luevanos posted a picture Wednesday on Facebook of her niece Jayce and nephew Jailah Nicole Silguero and wrote, “My baby you did not deserve this neither did your classmates nor cousin Jayce.”
The Washington Post reports that the boy was praised at Robb Elementary just hours before he was killed.
“He was funny, never serious, and his smile …” Felicha Martinez told the Post, her voice breaking. “That smile I will never forget. It would always cheer anyone up.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/victims-uvalde-texas-school-shooting/index.html
Mireles’ cousin, Maranda, was a victim of school shooting in Uvalde, TX: The Washington Post reports the shooting happened two years ago
Just a few days shy of completing his last year of elementary school, Xavier was counting down to his official move up the academic ladder into Flores Middle School in Uvalde, his mother told the Post.
Faith Mata told The Washington Post that her sister had been saving for a trip to Disney World before she was killed.
“My precious angel you are loved so deeply. In my eyes you are not a victim but a survivor. Faith Mata wrote on the social networking site that she loved her and that her wings would soar higher then she could ever dream.
A woman who identified herself as a friend of the girl’s mother told The Washington Post that she was bright and fun to be around. She said that Maranda’s best friend was her brother and he was also at Robb Elementary when the shooting happened.
On Wednesday, Mathis’ cousin Deanna Miller posted on Facebook: “My sweet baby cousin we loved u dearly I’m so sorry this happen to u baby please keep my family in your prayers.”
For 17 years, Mireles was an educator. Stanley, who has been found to have a brain abnormality, was taken care of by Mireles while he was in her third and fourth grade classes. Stanley was given the job of rounding up students to go to class to stop him from wandering around the school.
Mireles’ daughter, Adalynn, tweeted a tribute to her mother Wednesday, a family member confirmed to CNN. The tweet also included a picture of Adalynn and her mom.
“Mom, you are a hero. I keep telling myself that it’s not real. I just want to hear your voice,” the tribute read. “I want to thank you mom, for being such an inspiration to me. I will forever be so proud to be your daughter. I’m going to see you again.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/victims-uvalde-texas-school-shooting/index.html
Mireles Ybarra, 9, of Uvalde, Columbia, was shot by her father, Lexi Rodriguez, 10, on Facebook
In her spare time, Mireles enjoyed running, hiking, biking and being with her family, according to her profile on the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s website.
“She was a vivacious soul. She spread laughter and joy everywhere she went,” relative Amber Ybarra told CNN. It is absolutely tragic what is happening, she was a loving mother and a great teacher to her students.
Maite Rodriguez, 10, dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and had her heart set on attending Texas A&M in Corpus Christi, said her mother, Ana Rodriguez, on Facebook.
Lexi made the honor roll, and received a good citizen award, according to her parents. The parents celebrated their daughter’s achievements at school just before the shooting.
The parents told CNN they were proud of their daughter, who loved softball and basketball. The family told CNN that she wanted to be a lawyer as a child.
The Louisiana School Shooting of March 22, 2015: A Keystone for the Prevention of School Violence in Higher-Dimensional Shootings
Felix Rubio, a deputy with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, told CNN’s Jason Carroll he was one of many authorities who responded to the scene of the shooting. The father said he wants to see gun violence addressed.
“All I can hope is that she’s just not a number,” he said through tears. This is enough. No one else needs to go through this. We never needed to go through this, but we are.”
Jailah Nicole Silguero was 10 years old and enjoyed dancing and making TikTok videos, her mother Veronica Luevanos told CNN network partner, Univision.
After he heard about his son being killed, the father of the man told CNN that he learned about the shooting from friends. He left work and went to the school, but he was not given any information immediately.
At Michigan State University, three were killed and five were wounded in a mass shooting Monday, it was the second year in a row that the campus was terrified.
The man who opened fire, killing two people, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A school resource officer is accused of Failing to confront the shooter at a school.
Some teachers in Florida can carry guns under the school safety act, an idea that has been considered in other states after school shootings.
So far this year, the US has suffered at least 67 mass shootings – attacks in which four or more people are shot, not including the assailant, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The Texas tragedy spurred the creation of the first federal gun safety law in decades, after years of failed attempts. It marked the most significant gun legislation since the assault weapons ban of 1994, which expired after 10 years.
The new law supports so-called red flag laws, which allow courts to temporarily seize firearms from anyone believed to be a danger to themselves or others. The Bipartisan safer communities act funding includes school safety and state crisis intervention programs.
Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa’s Mom, Was Always a Hero: Condolences and Prayers for her and Her Family and Friends in Park Land School Shooting 5-Year-Anni
Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa’s mother, told HLN she dropped her daughter off at school Wednesday and said, “I love you.” The mother rushed to the school when she heard about the shooting. It was too late.
yssa was a soccer player who was smart, successful, and amazing. You’ll be greatly missed, Alyssa. We love you so much. You’ll always, always be in our hearts.”
“On behalf of the entire Coleman community, we offer heartfelt condolences and prayers for comfort to Alyssa’s family and friends,” the camp posted on Facebook after her death. “May Alyssa’s memory forever be for a blessing.”
Mr. Beigel was my hero and he will live on. I will never forget the actions that he took for me and for fellow students in the classroom,” she told CNN. I’m alive because of him.
“He was a very funny kid, outgoing, and sometimes really quiet. He was loved by all his family. Most of all he was my baby brother and this is why I created a crowd funding page to help pay for his funeral expenses.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/us/parkland-school-shooting-5-year-anniversary/index.html
Loss of a Superstar and a Good Teacher: A Memorandum to the Families of Victims of the Indianapolis School Shooting
A note taped next to his bed epitomized his determination: “I want to become a Swedish Olympian and go to Tokyo 2020 to compete for my country,” the note read, according to Nick’s mother. “I will give all I have in my body and my mind to achieve the goals I have set.”
The president of the University of Indianapolis after the shooting said that Nick’s death was a reminder that “we are connected to the larger world, and tragedies tend to affect us at home.”
Feis, an assistant football coach, was killed after he threw himself in front of students to protect them from oncoming bullets, football program spokesperson Denis Lehtio said after the shooting.
He made sure that everyone’s needs were met first. The man was a hard worker. He worked after school, on the weekends, mowing lawns, just helping as many people as possible.”
Fred Guttenberg posted a message on his Facebook page after the massacre. “Jennifer Bloom Guttenberg and I lost our baby girl to a violent shooting at her school. We lost our daughter and my son Jesse Guttenberg lost his sister.”
“I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family gets through this,” the father continued. We are thankful and apologize for not reacting to everyone individually. Hugs to your family and keep them together.
Eddie and Janice stated that they learned about the shooting from TV reports in South Carolina.
We didn’t hear anything about him on the day. We kept hoping they would find him wandering around in shock,” Janice Stroud told the station.
I said to myself at 7 o’clock that I didn’t like it. The husband said this is not good. “Finally, (police) called us at 1 a.m. and said Luke was among the students that had been killed.”
The rampage seemed inexplicable. “He was a good kid. He never got in trouble. “He was the last of my daughter’s children who still lived at home.”
Isabel Dalu, a close friend of Cara’s family, testified last year during the gunman’s trial about all the things the 14-year-old was looking forward to before she was gunned down:
Cara was excited to dance in the parade because she had recently started Irish dancing again. The family had decided to go to Ireland in the summer of 2016 to see family.
She wanted her first kiss and love to come true. Cara dreamed of going to homecoming and prom, she dreamed of graduating at the top of her class with all of her loved ones watching,” Isabel said.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/us/parkland-school-shooting-5-year-anniversary/index.html
Joaquin Lovito of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting 5-year-anniversary: A tribute to Meadow Pollack
Winter Guard International publicly mourned her death. “No student should ever go to school afraid,” the group said.
“Among friends at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, he was known as ‘Guac,’ a moniker that appeared on his Instagram account. His interests: football, basketball, the Venezuelan national soccer team, urban graffiti and hip-hop,” the paper said.
An Instagram post less than two months before Joaquin’s death was the teen’s final social media post – a message to his girlfriend, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
“While we will not have the opportunity to watch her grow up and become the amazing woman we know she would become, we are keeping an eternal perspective,” her family said.
Meadow was a lovely young woman with a lot of energy. We were very much looking forward to having her join our community in the fall,” D’Aria said.
“Please say a prayer for the family of an amazing girl I got to call my best friend growing up Meadow Pollack … her life was taken way too soon and I have no words to describe how this feels,” Lovito wrote on facebook.
“Helena, we miss you dearly and are so incredibly sorry that your life was cut short. You didn’t deserve this. We love you so much and will miss you greatly.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/us/parkland-school-shooting-5-year-anniversary/index.html
Remembering Alex when he died: How he made me laugh, how I told him, and how he taught me to cry when I killed him
This scholarship is being created to help other students with the joys of music and to increase security at schools in an attempt to continue his memory. The page said to help keep Alex’s spirit alive. “The money raised will be sent to the Stoneman Douglas Marching Eagles.”
The letter arrived in the mail the day after she died so she never knew, said a students after the shooting.
While holding a door open to let other students get to safety, Peter was shot and killed. Thousands of people signed a White House petition requesting that the JROTC member be buried with military honors.
When she learned of her friend Peter’s death, she screamed and cried as she saw pictures on the internet of people who had died.
She said it was hard to not have him in the hallways because he used to laugh with her. I used to like how he made me smile. And now he’s gone.”