A second teacher has died in school shooting, official says
A second teacher died in the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school Tuesday that left 20 other people dead, a law enforcement official said.
Nineteen children were also killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School, Lt. Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
The teacher was not immediately identified.
Another teacher who died in the shooting, Eva Mireles, had taught with the school district for 17 years, her aunt told news outlets.
Teacher who died was 'trying to protect her students,' aunt says
A teacher who died Tuesday was “trying to protect her students” from the gunman who killed 19 people at Robb Elementary School, a relative told The New York Times.
Eva Mireles had been with the district for about 17 years, Lydia Martinez Delgado told the newspaper.
Martinez Delgado told The Times that her niece, who was in her early 40s, was married and had a child. She described Mireles as an avid hiker who took pride in teaching students of Latino heritage, The Times reported.
Martinez Delgado told KSAT-TV that she was “furious” over the shooting and others.
“These children are innocent. Rifles should not be easily available to all. This is my hometown — a small community of less than 20,000. I never imagined this would happen ... especially to loved ones.”
Border Patrol agent wounded by Texas school gunman
At least one Border Patrol agent was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a gunman who killed at least 19 children at a Texas elementary school Tuesday, an official with the Department of Homeland Security said.
Border Patrol agents responded to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and were fired upon by the gunman, who was barricaded inside, DHS spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa tweeted.
“Risking their own lives, these Border Patrol Agents and other officers put themselves between the shooter and children on the scene to draw the shooter’s attention away from potential victims and save lives,” she wrote.
“At least one Border Patrol Agent was wounded by the shooter during the exchange of gunfire,” Espinosa said.
Nineteen children and a teacher were killed after the gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, officials said.
The gunman, 18, is also dead, believed to have been killed by law enforcement officers who confronted him, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for more details Tuesday night. The agent survived, a DHS spokesperson said.
'It's like a horror movie': Parents, family wait for word about children
UVALDE, Texas — After the shots rang out at Robb Elementary School, parents and family members began frantically searching for the children they hadn’t heard from.
Rosa Arizmendia and Roland Arizmendia knew their daughter was OK but hadn't heard from their niece.
They had last seen her earlier in the day when they picked up their daughter at an awards ceremony at the school. Roland yelled out, “Hi, mija!” to her then.
“It’s like a horror movie,” Rosa Arizmendia said. “If it’s not our kid, it’s someone we know. It’s our neighbors.”
Death toll grows to 18 children, 1 adult
The death toll in Tuesday's shooting massacre now stands at 18 children and an adult, according to Texas State Police.
The numbers do not include the suspected gunman, who was also killed.
At least 14 of the victims were taken Uvalde Memorial Hospital, and several more were being treated at University Health in San Antonio.
Uvalde superintendent: We need your prayers to get through this
Grief counselors will be available in Uvalde, Texas, for students, school staff members and others after Tuesday’s deadly shooting at an elementary school, the district superintendent said.
“My heart was broken today,” Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Hal Harrell said Tuesday evening. “We’re a small community, and we’ll need your prayers to get us through this."
The 18-year-old gunman who carried out the shooting at Robb Elementary School is dead, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. Police responded to the shooting around 11:30 a.m., officials said.
Harrell said that classes and activities are canceled and that the school year is over. Uvalde is a city of around 15,200 around 80 miles west of San Antonio.
Teachers unions call for action on gun safety after Uvalde shooting
Two of the country’s largest teachers unions demanded action Tuesday to address gun violence and firearm safety after a gunman killed at least 14 students and a teacher in Texas.
The National Education Association and the Texas State Teachers Association in a joint statement called on policymakers to do something to keep guns from people who should not have them, whether through enacting new laws or by enforcing existing ones.
“Tragedies like this one keep happening while elected officials do nothing; except, in Texas’ case, make firearms more available. How many more mass shootings need to happen before these lawmakers finally take responsibility and address the gun safety issue?” the two organizations said.
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, also demanded action, citing Tuesday’s shooting as well as the May 14 racist attack at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, which killed 10 people.
“Gun violence is a cancer, and it’s one that none of us should tolerate for one single moment longer,” she said. “We have made a choice to let this continue, and we can make a choice to finally do something — do anything — to put a stop to this madness.”