The medical examiner who responded to the mass shooting at a school in Uwalde, Texas, spoke about the painstaking process of identifying the small bodies – and what happened to the shooter’s body.
Eulalio Lalo Diaz Jr., the city’s justice of the peace and de facto coroner, was on call when Salvador Ramos slaughtered 19 children and two teachers at Rob Elementary School on May 24.
“Then they tell me that there are 16 to 17 victims and most of them are children, and that, of course, is not what I wanted to hear,” Diaz told US Sun.
“I didn’t know what the scene would be like, but I knew the kids wouldn’t have IDs or name badges, so we wouldn’t know who those kids were until we figured out what to do.”
To help with the unimaginable trial, the coroner called a Bexar County San Francisco medical examiner before he even entered the classroom where students and teachers were killed, US Sun reported.
Officer David Valdes hugs Uvalde Magistrate Eulalio Diaz, while Diaz says he has to identify the bodies of 19 children. teachers at Rob Elementary School on May 24. REUTERS / Brad Brooks
Diaz and the other officer then went through a difficult and arduous process of trying to identify the bodies using photographs and descriptions of the victims.
“We went around almost person by person, victim by victim, with photos, we just tried to make sure that this person matched the description, and we managed to clear all the names,” he told the newspaper.
Diaz said he also decided to protect the devastated families from the body of the insane shooter.
Most of the victims of the shooting in Uwalde are children. AFP via Getty Images
“We also had to deal with him, so he was separated from the victims immediately on the spot and he was the last to leave,” he told US Sun.
“I made sure that I signed the order for the victims, I sent them first to the forensic office. I signed a separate order for him. He did not leave until all the victims had left, he said.
“He did not go to the medical examiner until all the victims had returned to Uwalde. “After all the victims were released back in Uwalde, we sent him to the forensic office,” Diaz added.
The victim of the Uvalde Maite shooting, Juliana Rodriguez, was identified by her green sneakers after she was shot. AP Photo / Susan Walsh Children flee to safety after fleeing a window during a mass shooting at Robb.Pete Luna / Uvalde Leader-News / Handout via REUTERS primary school
Meanwhile, the remains of Ramos are kept in an undiscovered district.
“At the moment, the family has not yet given me instructions, but once they do, I will release it to the family and sign an order allowing the morgue that holds it to let him into the funeral home, which will be held with the shooter.” he told the US Sun.
“The whole city is shocked that this has happened to our community, and secondly, it asks, ‘What happened?'” Diaz added. “It simply came to our notice then. We hope to get some answers soon. “
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