- Robb Elementary School fourth grade teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles were dedicated to educating children and keeping them out of harm’s way according to their family
- The teachers selflessly used their bodies to shield students when gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, stormed their classroom in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, May 24
- ‘She passed away with children in her arms trying to protect them,’ Garcia’s nephew John Martinez revealed on Twitter
- The teachers and 19 children aged nine and 10 were killed and multiple other students wounded before Ramos was shot dead
- The grandmother of one of the children who narrowly escaped said her granddaughter overheard Ramos say, ‘What do I have here?’ when he entered the classroom
The two teachers killed in the Texas school massacre died heroes trying to protect their students from the gunman who stormed their classroom and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.
Irma Garcia, 46, and Eva Mireles, 44, were shot dead alongside 19 students at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Tuesday, May 24 in the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S.
The fourth grade teachers selflessly used their bodies to shield as many students as they could from shooter Salvador Ramos, 18, according to a relative.
‘She passed away with children in her arms trying to protect them,’ Garcia’s nephew John Martinez wrote on Twitter.
‘Those weren’t just her students, they were her kids as well.’
Mireles’ daughter revealed how her mother ‘jumped in front of students’ in a heartbreaking tribute on Wednesday.
‘I don’t know how to do this life without you, but I will take care of dad. I will take care of our dogs and I will forever say your name so you are always remembered, Eva Mireles, 4th grade teacher at Robb Elementary who selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives,’ Adalynn Ruiz wrote on Facebook.
The grandmother of one of the children who narrowly escaped the mass shooting said her granddaughter heard Ramos say ‘what do I have here?’ when he entered the classroom.
‘My granddaughter can’t take that out of her mind what he said… she had to run out the window,’ Anita Alves told ITV.com.
Garcia, a married mother of four, had taught at Robb Elementary for 23 years and was previously named ‘teacher of the year’.
She was one of 19 San Antonio-area educators named as finalists for Trinity University’s prize for excellence in teaching in 2019.
Garcia at the time taught third grade, specializing in social studies and ELAR, or English Language Arts and Reading.
‘I am so excited to begin this new school year already!’ she wrote on the school district’s website before the start of the school year.
Garcia often shared her personal life and passions with her students, who she considered her children, including her love of barbecuing with her husband of 24 years, Joe.
Her eldest son is at military boot camp while her second son attends Texas State University and she has two younger daughters as well.
Garcia’s husband and son can be seen in a Facebook photo holding a heart-shaped sign that reads ‘Proud Bobcat family,’ – a nod to the football team at Texas State.
Mireles was trained in bilingual and special education, loved outdoor activities such as running and hiking, and cherished her husband, daughter and ‘three furry friends,’ according to a biography on the school’s website.
Her husband, Ruben Ruiz, is a police officer on the school district’s police force, the agency investigating the massacre.
Mireles’ daughter recounted on social media how her mother had asked her to take a picture to share on the school’s website.
‘I remember my mom making me take this picture of her and she had me take like 50 before she found one she liked, she wanted it to be perfect because she had to send it into the school website for her students to see, my mom had a special place in her heart for her students . Remember this hero,’ Adalynn Ruiz wrote.
Mireles’ aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, grieved for her niece in a Facebook post, asking for prayers for her family and the entire town of Uvalde.
‘I’m furious that these shootings continue. 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 to especially loved ones,’ she said in a statement.
The Mail
