The first funeral services for the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, one week ago were held for two 10-year-old girls among the 21 dead.
The lives of Amerie Jo Garza and Maite Rodriguez were honored in two separate funerals Tuesday after separate rosary services and a viewing were held for both girls Monday.
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Destiny Esquivel said her cousin, Rodriguez, wanted to be a marine biologist and died a hero, trying to save her classmates by telling them where to hide.
“She loved animals,” Esquivel told CNN on Monday. “She was determined. She was smart. She was going to be someone.”
Neighbors and businesses in the small town of Uvalde have united to support the grieving families. The two funeral homes in Uvalde have waived all funeral costs, and the 19 children who died will be buried in custom caskets built for free by a Texas company. The funerals have all been scheduled through June 16.
Garza’s father, Angel Garcia, was told that his daughter had tried to call 911 during the shooting.
“I just want people to know she died trying to save her classmates,” Garcia told CNN last Wednesday. “She just wanted to save everyone.”
Twelve of the funerals will be led by the Rev. Eduardo Morales, a priest in Uvalde.
Two fourth grade teachers, Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles, were also killed in the attack.
The police response to the shooting last Tuesday has been under heavy scrutiny as certain details shared with the public have shifted over time and as investigations continue, including a review of what took law enforcement so long to stop the shooter.
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The gunman, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was killed by law enforcement who breached the classroom in which he was barricaded.
Seventeen other people were injured during the attack. Three remain in the hospital, including Ramos’s grandmother, 66, who officials say was shot in the face prior to the school shooting. The grandmother and a 9-year-old girl are in good condition, and one 10-year-old girl is still in serious condition as of Tuesday.
