Residents of Uwalde mourned together in private on Thursday when three other victims of the May 24 massacre at Rob’s primary school were buried.
While travelers from all over Texas paid tribute to a thriving downtown memorial, dropping roses and teddy bears at the feet of wooden crosses for each of the slain children and teachers, mourners paid tribute to Eliana Torres, Nevai, Alice Bravo and Maranda Mathis. The three fourth-graders were among 19 children killed along with their teachers, Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles, on May 24 when an 18-year-old gunman stormed their classroom. The litany of visits, funerals and burials began on Monday and will continue until mid-June.
Thursday’s funeral began at Mortuary Rushing-Estes-Knowles with Eliahna, whose obituary describes her as a compassionate, silly 10-year-old who loved softball and Tik Tok. The other two children had funerals later in the day, one at Rushing-Estes and the other at Sacred Heart Church.
Journalists were denied access to the ceremonies, and most locals refused to speak to the press after a day of media attention. The emotions were still fresh.
“I want to hug every child I see at HEB,” said Francesca Baron, a longtime resident of Uwalde who lived near the funeral home where the Torres ceremony took place. “It’s so bad.”
Fire trucks and a fleet of police officers from Uwalde and Texas cities – including Alan, Parland, Conroe, Lubok – have set up a blockade around the Rushing-Estes Knowles morgue, Sacred Heart Memorial Church and Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery, threatening arrest to prevent reporters from near the property.
They were assisted by dozens of bikers who were members of at least three clubs – Guardians of the Children, Thin Blue Line LEMC and Marines MC. The motorcyclists physically blocked the cameras in the designated areas of the media, followed reporters and harassed them as they approached the ceremonies. A member of the biker club, who declined to give her name, was part of a group called Guardians of Children and said she worked with police.
“We were asked to be here,” the woman said.
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– Julian Gil (@ JulianGi11) June 2, 2022
Outside of Torres’ funeral, other unidentified members of the biker club said: “We just want to give families a safe and peaceful space.
The massacre at the school in Uwalde
julian.gill@chron.com
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