Hundreds of colorful bouquets are ringing in the fountain, lined with toys, plush animals, candles and letters in memory of the 21 people killed at Rob’s primary school in Uwalde last week. The framed posters show smiling faces leaning against walls covered with painted hearts and chalk names. On a path leading to the square, visitors slowly pass a series of crosses, stopping to pray or reflect on the devastating tragedy. Each cross – several feet high and draped with flowers, balloons and commemorative messages – bears the name of someone killed. Nineteen children and two teachers lost their lives after an 18-year-old gunman entered their classroom and opened fire. Now family and friends have begun to bury their loved ones. Ryan Ramirez, Alicia Ramirez’s father, said he waited nearly 12 hours before learning she had been killed. He described his 10-year-old daughter as “very loving and kind”.
“She was there for anyone who needed something. And that was one thing we all loved about her, “he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday.
Alicia “loved to paint,” her father said, and when he met with President Joe Biden during his visit to Uwalde on Sunday, Biden told him he would exhibit one of Alicia’s paintings at the White House.
“She always had a crayon in her hand, she just went to town,” Ramirez said.
As the community mourns, more details emerge about the shooting and how people inside reacted to the terror. Rob Nicole Ogburn’s primary school teacher said she had just released a film about her students when she saw someone carrying a gun in front of her classroom window. “I just looked out the window and saw this man with the gun walking up. And I just told my class, get on the ground, get on the ground, get to the corner, “Ogburn told CNN affiliates KABB / WOAI.
“I kept hearing gunshots and just kept praying, ‘God, please don’t let him in my room, please don’t let him in that room,’ but for some reason he didn’t.”
A timeline provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety reveals several phone calls to 911 from classrooms where gunmen unleashed their deadly attack, with children begging police to intervene.
Three people injured by the shooter were hospitalized Tuesday at the University Hospital of San Antonio. The shooter’s 66-year-old grandmother, who was shot in the face before the attack on the school, is in good condition; A 9-year-old girl is in good condition; and a 10-year-old girl is in serious condition, the hospital said.
The police chief was sworn in as a member of the city council
Meanwhile, Pete Aredondo, Uwalde’s school police chief, identified by authorities last week as the commander of the shooting incident, was sworn in as a member of the city council on Tuesday after being elected last month. Aredondo faced criticism for the decision to place officers in the corridor outside the classrooms where the shooting took place, waiting more than an hour to intervene before a Border Patrol tactical team entered the room and killed the shooter.
Although Texas Director of Public Safety Stephen McCrow did not identify Aredondo by name, he said Friday that the boss had made the “wrong decision” not to engage with the shooter earlier.
Uwalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said no swearing-in ceremony was held on Tuesday, “out of respect for the families who buried their children today and who plan to bury their children in the next few days.”
The mayor said Monday that a special meeting of the city council “will not be held on schedule”, adding that “our focus on Tuesday is on our families who have lost loved ones.” The justice ministry announced on Sunday that it would review law enforcement in response to the shooting at the mayor’s request.
More resources are coming in, the state says
As attention is focused on law enforcement response, Texas officials say they are also working to address current needs on the ground.
To speed up the distribution of state and local resources, Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for Uwalde on Tuesday, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
“The disaster declaration will speed up all available state and local resources to support the Uwalde community, as well as repeal regulations that will prevent, hinder or delay the necessary actions to deal with the consequences of the tragic shooting,” the statement said.
“Uwalde’s community was devastated by the senseless act of violence last week at Rob Elementary School and should have no difficulty in obtaining the support needed for healing,” Abbott said.
Another help comes from serving volunteers from outside the city.
Patrick Johnson, 58, told CNN he was so overwhelmed when he heard about the shooting that he drove seven hours from Harlton, Texas, to Uwalde, filling his trunk with Walmart toys to faint. the town square.
For three days, the children were invited to choose a toy they liked from a table full of stuffed animals, miniature cars and soccer balls.
“When you lose something, especially as a child, you need something else to hold on to,” Johnson said. “It brings joy to the children, so it brings joy to me.”
Omar Jimenez, Andy Rose, Christina Maxuris, Ala Elasar, Eric Levenson, Raja Razek, Joe Sutton, Jeremy Grisham and Virginia Langmaid contributed to this report.
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