A school in Ulvade, Texas, Robb Elementary, is now the scene of an utterly heartbreaking tragedy. Yesterday, a gunman entered the site and took the lives of two teachers, Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, and at least 19 children (although some outlets are reporting this figure could be higher). The 18-year-old shooter, named as Salvador Ramos and who was killed by law enforcement officers, is also believed to have shot his grandmother before carrying out his attack.
Many are now, once again, calling for stricter gun laws in the United States.
Posting on social media, Garcia's nephew asked the public to keep his family in their prayers: "My tia did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom, I beg of you to keep my family including all of her family in y’all’s prayers , IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO. She was loved by many and will truly be missed." It's believed that the 44-year-old leaves behind four children and a husband, Joe.
At the start of the school year, Garcia wrote her class a letter sharing details of her life. In the note, she said, "I am so excited to begin this new school year already... This will be the beginning of my twenty-third year of teaching, all of which have been here at Robb Elementary. I've been a co-teacher for five years now with Ms. Mireles. I love to BBQ with my husband, listen to music, and take country cruises."
It's also been reported that Mireles, a wife and mother, had been a teacher for 17 years. It's said she was very active with a love of hiking, biking, running and caring for her three pets, and has been described by those who knew her as "the fun of the party".
Details are also slowly emerging about the children who were tragically murdered during the horrific shooting, with the first to be named as Xavier Lopez, aged just 10. Earlier that day he had been excited for his class's end of term awards-giving ceremony. The class were due to break up from school this week.
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The BBC reports that the incident at Robb Elementary School is one of 27 school shootings in America this year.
"Why do we keep letting this happen?" President Biden said following yesterday's event. "Why are we willing to live with this carnage?"
Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this devastating tragedy.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
