The Uvalde Shooting: Remembering the Victims
Yet another horrific school shooting took place in the nation, this time at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. On May 24, 2022, 18year-old Salvador Ramos shot and killed 19 students, two teachers, and wounded 17 others, before getting fatally shot by police at the scene. (NYT)
Sadly, a shooting like this is nothing new. Since 1970, there have been 2,052 school shooting incidents in America. In 2021, it reached an all time high with over 250 incidents – a 120% increase from 2020 (Natl World). Officials say that Robb Elementary marks the deadliest school shooting since the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut a decade ago, where 26 people were killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza. 20 of Lanza’s victims were between the ages of 6 and 7 years old with six staff members killed as well (Britannica). Six years later, nothing had changed. On February 14th, 2018, nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida. In what became the deadliest school shooting at an American high school, he killed 17 students and wounded 17 more (NBC).
Even this year, there have been countless shootings. As of June 6th, 2022, only 159 days into the year, there have been more than 240 mass shootings in the U.S (Washington Post). In Uvalde, a small town in the south of Texas, the community has been left reeling. The shooting abruptly ended the school year for the district as they organized funerals with questions about what will happen to the school site. Details have continued to emerge since the day of the shooting about the police response with many parents angry about the delayed confrontation between Ramos and the police as the shooting unfolded. Some parents say that their children’s lives could have been saved had the police made a more rapid response. As a result, the police department is undergoing federal and state investigations into their conduct.
Reducing the victims of school shootings in statistics is an easy way to separate ourselves from the incident but it has only become more vital to learn about the lives that were lost to senseless violence. The victims of the Robb Elementary school are as follows (Sandy Hook Promise):
Xavier Lopez was 10 years old. He was excited for summer so he could spend his days off swimming.
Uziyah Garcia was 9 years old. He loved video games and anything with wheels, and he had a talent for football.
Alexandria Aniyah Rubio was 10 years old. The day of the shooting, she had been recognized for making the school’s honor roll and had also received a good citizen award.
Tess Mata was 10 years old. She had been saving money for a trip to Disney World with her family.
Amerie Jo Garza was 10 years old. She loved nothing more than her family, especially her little brother.
Jose Flores was 10 years old. He loved going to school, and he received a certificate for making the school honor roll hours before the shooting.
Jayce Luevanos was 10 years old. He always had a smile on his face and he was full of life.
Jailah Nicole Silguero was 10 years old. She loved to dance.
Miranda Mathis was 11 years old. She was fun, spunky and smart.
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriquez was 10 years old. She was outgoing and was looking forward to the upcoming summer break from school.
Jackie Cazares was 10 years old. She was full of life and love.
Alithia Ramirez was 10 years old. She loved to draw.
Rojelio Torres was 10 years old. He was smart, hard-working and helpful.
Ellie Garcia was 10 years old. She was full of love and was a basketball player in the city’s youth league.
Makenna Lee Elrod was 10 years old. She loved tumbling, and her smile could light up a room.
Nevaeh Bravo was 10 years old. She put a smile on everyone’s faces.
Eliahana “Elijah” Cruz Torres was 10 years old. She was looking forward to her final softball game of the season on Tuesday.
Maite Yuleana Rodriquez was 10 years old. She was kind to others and had dreams of attending Texas A&M to become a marine biologist.
Layla Salazar was 10 years old. She won six races at her school’s field day and loved jamming to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” with her dad.
Eva Mireles was a fourth-grade teacher and mom who loved hiking and running.
Irma Garcia was a fourth-grade teacher and mom who loved to barbeque with her husband.
In the United States, two things are true: there are more guns than civilians and guns are the leading cause of death for children. Whatever your political views are, children should not be dying as they learn. As Americans, we cannot become numb to this horrifying nightmare. We’ve had enough thoughts and prayers— it’s time to act.
To learn more, visit the following sites:
How the Texas School Shooting Unfolded in 78 Minutes: A Timeline - The New York Times
What we know about the victims of the Uvalde school shooting : NPR
What to Know About the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas - The New York Times
How the Police Response in Uvalde Broke Down: No Radio, Old Tactics - The New York Times
The Mass Shootings Where Stricter Gun Laws Might Have Made a Difference - The New York Times
How to help Uvalde families after the Texas school shooting : NPR
Uvalde, Texas Elementary School Shooting - GoFundMe
All information is as of June 8th, 2022.
by ATREYI BASU