A school dropout, Salvador Ramos, 18, opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle in a primary school, also killing two teachers before being killed by the police.
In Uvalde, sadness mixes again and again with incomprehension and anger. Two days after 21 people, including 19 children, were killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting by an 18-year-old lunatic with a legally purchased assault rifle, this town west of of San Antonio, Texas, is trying somehow to heal his wounds.
The tragedy, which raises the eternal question of the limitation of firearms in the United States, has stunned the 16,000 inhabitants of Uvalde, mostly Hispanics, in pain. A thousand people had gathered Wednesday night for a vigil at a communal rodeo hall.
« She was a nice little girl »
Among them is Ryan Ramirez, who lost his 10-year-old daughter Alithia in the killings and says he was « heartbroken. » « She was a very good artist » and yearned for greatness, he says as he flips through a portfolio of Alithia’s colorful paintings and birthday cards she drew for her mother. « My daughter would have liked everyone affected to be strong, to stick together. That’s what we’re trying to do. »
In front of the cameras, Eliana’s aunt, another victim also only 10 years old, has great difficulty in holding back her tears at the mention of her niece.
« She was very happy and very sociable, she liked to dance, sing, and play sports. She was very important in the family, she was appreciated by everyone. She was a nice little girl, » she recalls, in tears.
Esmeralda Bravo, for her part, holds a photo of Nevaeh, her late granddaughter. « There is no explanation, » she said. « She was a good little girl, very shy and very pretty. (…) Having the support of the community means a lot to me, but I would prefer my little girl to be here, by my side ».
« My little love is now flying high in the sky with the angels above, » Angel Garza, whose daughter Amerie Jo had just celebrated her 10th birthday, wrote on Facebook.
« I love you Amerie Jo, » he added. « I will never be happy again or never again like before ».
« We didn’t know it was goodbye »
The tragic list of victims seems endless. Nearby washington postthe parents of Xavier Lopez, who only hours before dying had received a prize for his good school results, remember a child « funny, never serious, always with a smile. »
« That smile, I will never forget it, » says his mother, Felicha Martinez.
For his part, Manny Renfro, grandfather of Uziyah Garcia, recalls to CNN a child « full of life », « the nicest boy I have ever known. »
« We started throwing the ball together and I was teaching him passing patterns. Such a fast little boy, » he said.
Felix and Kimberly Rubio, Lexi’s parents, had just celebrated the good results of their daughter, who was part of the school’s honor roll, before she was killed.
« We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school. We didn’t know it was goodbye. She was kind, sweet and enjoyed life. She was going to be a softball star and had a bright future, whether in sports or in school. Please let the world know we miss our baby, » they told the US media.
The families of the two missing adults, Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, also reacted, stressing that these two teachers had tried, until the end, to protect the children.
« Demented »
The investigation aimed at understanding the course and the circumstances of the killing promises to be long. Speaking to reporters, Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealed that the murderer, Salvador Ramos, who was killed by police, shot his 66-year-old grandmother in the face before walking to school Primary Robb.
The young man had no criminal history as a minor or psychological problems known to local health services, the governor said, calling him « insane ». The killer had previously announced on Facebook his intention to attack his grandmother who, although seriously injured, managed to alert the police.
He then posted a new message to say that « he did it ». Then, at least 15 minutes before the massacre, a third to let it be known that his next target was a school. He went there wearing a bulletproof vest and an AR-15, a civilian version of a military assault rifle designed to kill as many people as possible in record time.