Heartbreaking class picture emerges of Texas elementary school group

A class photo of the fourth grade at Robb Elementary School has emerged, showing the scale of the tragedy that befell the small Texan community.

The youngsters were filmed smiling and full of hope in a group photo taken at the school in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this academic year.  

So far, DailyMail.com has been able to identify 11 of the 17 children featured in the image as victims of the tragedy.

They are Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10; Lexi Rubio, 10; Annabelle Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10; Maite Yuleana; Xavier Lopez, 10; Rojelio Torres, 10, Uziyah Garcia, 8; Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10; Jacklyn Cazares, 10; Layla Salazar, 10 and Jose Flores, 10.  The male teacher they are pictured standing with was not killed. 

Nineteen children were murdered on Tuesday and two of their teachers by an 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos. He had bought the rifle legally a week before.

The shooting is the worst school massacre since Sandy Hook, in 2012. Twenty children and six teachers were murdered in the Connecticut shooting.

One fourth grader who survived the mass shooting recalled the harrowing moment the gunman stormed into his classroom and told the children ‘it’s time to die’.

‘He came in and he crouched a little bit and he said, he said: ‘It’s time to die,” the unnamed Robb Elementary School student told KENS 5 on Wednesday.

‘When I heard the shooting through the door, I told my friend to hide under something so he won’t find us,’ the boy said. ‘I was hiding hard. And I was telling my friend to not talk because he is going to hear us.’ 

The little boy and four others hid under a cloth-covered table while Ramos opened fire into the classroom, killing 19 students and two teachers. Seventeen others were injured.

Authorities say it is unclear why the teen targeted the school. He had no criminal history or known mental illnesses, but was described by friends, family and co-workers as a loner and high school dropout, who was bullied and aggressive.

He had got in a fight with his grandmother about who would pay the phone bill before he went on his killing spree, law enforcement officials disclosed to CBS News. However, they note that information is preliminary and are not sure if the fight was the trigger for the massacre.

The fourth grader claims Ramos stormed into their classroom after shooting at another door in the school. 

‘He shot the next person’s door. We have a door in the middle. He opened it,’ the boy said, adding that Ramos then told the students they would die.

He and four others took cover under a table, which some experts argue shielded them from Ramos’ view and saved their lives.

‘When the cops came, the cop said: ‘Yell if you need help!’ And one of the persons in my class said ‘help.’ The guy overheard and he came in and shot her,’ the boy said. 

‘The cop barged into that classroom. The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting.’

The boy said they remained hidden until the gunfire ceased. 

‘I just opened the curtain. And I just put my hand out,’ he said. ‘I got out with my friend. I knew it was police. I saw the armor and the shield.’

He also alleged his teachers, Irma Garcia, 46, and Eva Mireles, 44, sacrificed themselves to protect their students.

‘They were nice teachers,’ he said. ‘They went in front of my classmates to help. To save them.’

The little boy also issued a warning to other American families, saying: ‘I would like to say to every kid and parent to be safe.’

Ramos used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle in the bloodbath Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. He had legally bought two such rifles just days before the attack, soon after his 18th birthday, authorities said.

One of the guns was purchased at a federally licensed dealer in the Uvalde area on May 17, according to state Sen. John Whitmire, who was briefed by investigators. Ramos bought 375 rounds of ammunition the next day, then purchased the second rifle last Friday. 

On Tuesday morning, Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother at her home, then left. Neighbors called police when she staggered outside and they saw she had been shot in the face, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine said.

Ramos then crashed his truck through a railing on the grounds at Robb Elementary School and an Uvalde school district officer exchanged fire with him and was wounded.

The teen went inside and exchanged more gunfire with two arriving Uvalde police officers, who were still outside, Considine said. Those officers were also wounded. 

Meanwhile, frustrated onlookers were urging police to enter the building as Ramos went on his killing spree.

One woman was yelling at the police outside the school, recalled Juan Carranza, 24, who lives opposite the building. 

He told ABC News she was screaming: ‘Go in there! Go in there!’

But noted, the officers did not enter the building. 

Jacinto Cazares, whose 10-year-old daughter Jacklyn was among the 21 killed, has demanded to know why Ramos was able to rampage through the school for 90 minutes until he was shot dead.

The first 911 call was received 90 minutes earlier, at 11:30am, saying a man had emerged from a crashed vehicle with a long rifle and a backpack.

‘There was at least 40 lawmen armed to the teeth but didn’t do a darn thing until it was far too late,’ Cazares he told the news outlet. ‘The situation could’ve been over quick if they had better tactical training, and we as a community witnessed it firsthand.’ 

Cazares said he wanted answers from local authorities as to why the shooter was not stopped before or during the attack.

‘I’m a gun owner and I do not blame the weapons used in this tragedy,’ he said. ‘I’m angry how easy it is to get one and young you can be to purchase one.’  

A teacher, whose students were watching a Disney movie as part of their end-of-year celebration when Ramos stormed the building, shared how her class took cover under their desks after they were alerted of his presence.

The teacher, who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity, recalled how her students did ‘exactly as they were told’. 

‘They’ve been practicing for this day for years,’ she said, referencing active shooter drills that have become standard in American schools. 

‘They knew this wasn’t a drill. We knew we had to be quiet or else we were going to give ourselves away.’

The educator, detailing what was the ‘longest 35 minutes of my life,’ said her students tried to stay quiet as their wounded schoolmates screamed from a classroom down the hall.

Sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, the teacher said she tried to be strong.

Several students started crying and she motioned for them to come sit by her and, in a whisper, told the class to pray silently.

She said she was trying to convey a message of ‘you’re ok, we’re going to be ok’ without speaking. 

After the shooting, when police approached the classroom and broke the windows, she called for her students to assemble in a line. 

She held their hands as they climbed out the window and into the safety of authorities.

‘After the last kid, I turned around to ensure everyone was out,’ the teacher said. ‘I knew I had to go quickly, but I wasn’t leaving until I knew for sure.’

Afterwards, she reportedly received messages from parents thanking her for protecting their children. 

‘Thank you for keeping my baby safe,’ one message read.

‘But it’s not just their baby,’ the teacher told NBC News through her tears. 

‘That’s my baby, too. They are not my students. They are my children.’

Before concluding the interview, which she had been reluctant to give, the educator reportedly said: ‘I want you to say this in your article.  Our children did not deserve this. They were loved. Not only by their families, but their family at school.’

Dillon Silva, whose nephew was in a nearby classroom, said students were watching the Disney movie ‘Moana’ when they heard several loud pops and a bullet shattered a window. Moments later, their teacher saw the attacker stride past.

‘Oh, my God, he has a gun!’ the teacher shouted twice, according to Silva. ‘The teacher didn’t even have time to lock the door,’ he said.

The killing spree ceased after a tactical team forced its way into the classroom where the attacker was holed up. The team was met with gunfire from Ramos but shot and killed him. 

The massacre came as the school was counting down to the last days of the school year with a series of themed days. Tuesday was to be ‘Footloose and Fancy,’ with students wearing nice outfits.

Texas, which has some of the most gun-friendly laws in the nation, has been the site of some of the deadliest shootings in the U.S. over the past five years. In 2018, a gunman killed 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area. 

A year before that, a gunman shot more than two dozen people to death during a Sunday service in the small town of Sutherland Springs.  In 2019, a gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist attack targeting Hispanics.

The shooting came days before the National Rifle Association annual convention was set to begin in Houston. The governor and both of Texas’ U.S. senators, all of whom are Republicans, were among the scheduled speakers at a forum Friday.

The victims of the Texas gun massacre so far confirmed to have died are:  

Amerie Jo Garza, 10

Amerie Jo Garza, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary, was one of 19 students confirmed to be killed Tuesday morning by Ramos, who cops say was carrying a handgun and an AR-15 during the attack that also killed two teachers in the classroom.

Her grandmother, Berlinda Irene Arreola, said the 10-year-od was killed as she tried to phone 911 while sitting next to her best friend, who ended up ‘covered in her blood.’ 

Arreola said Ramos told the students and staffers inside the room, ‘You’re going to die,’ before opening fire – shooting her granddaughter dead as she tried to phone for help. 

‘So the gunman went in and he told the children, ‘You’re going to die,’ Berlinda told The Daily Beast. 

‘And [Amerie] had her phone and she called 911. And instead of grabbing it and breaking it or taking it from her, he shot her. She was sitting right next to her best friend. Her best friend was covered in her blood.’ 

Uziyah Garcia, 8

Uziyah Garcia, the youngest victim to be identified so far at age 8, was also killed in the attack.

The child’s family announced he was killed hours after announcing he was among the many children unaccounted for following the tragedy.  

The boy’s grandfather, Manny Renfro, broke the news early Wednesday after being notified by authorities.

‘[He was] the sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,’ Renfro said. ‘I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.’

Renfro recalled how Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo over spring break.

‘We started throwing the football together and I was teaching him pass patterns. 

‘Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,’ the grieving grandad said. 

‘There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.’

Makenna Elrod, 10

Makenna Elrod, 10, had also been among the missing in the chaos that followed the massacre, with her father, Brandon Elrod telling reporters at the time he feared ‘she may not be alive.’

Her death was eventually confirmed by a family friend on Wednesday. ‘It’s pretty sad what this world’s coming to,’ the girl’s father told local outlet KTRK after the shooting.

A mother of one of Makenna’s friends lamented the loss in a post to Facebook. 

‘Sweet Makenna Rest in Paradise!! My heart is shattered as my daughter Chloe loved her so much!!’ the mom wrote. A relative Wednesday confirmed that the girl had been among the victims.

Xavier Lopez, 10

Xavier Lopez, 10, was the first student victim to be identified as one of Ramos’ victims.

The child’s mother, Felicha Martinez, told the Washington Post Tuesday that just hours before the massacre, the mom had been at the school to see her son participate an honor roll ceremony. 

She took a picture showing her son showing off his certificate.

In the last exchange she had with the child, the mom heartbreakingly told the boy that she was proud of him and that she loved him, giving him a hug goodbye – not knowing it would be the last time she would see him alive.

‘He was funny, never serious and his smile… that smile I will never forget,’ she recalled after learning of his death from police. ‘It would always cheer anyone up.’

The boy’s cousin, Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, said Xavier enjoyed swimming and had been looking forward to the summer.

‘He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,’ she said. 

‘He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.’

Amelia Sandoval, Lopez’s grandmother, said: ‘It’s just so hard… you send your kids to school thinking they are going to make it back home but they’re not.’

Eliahana Torres, 10

Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10, had also been missing for hours until she was confirmed to be among the dead.

Adolfo Cruz, her great-grandfather, said she didn’t want to attend school the day of the shooting – but was told by her family that she had to attend.

He said he remained outside the school gates throughout the night until he leanrned of her fate from local authorities.

‘I hope she is alive,’ he said at the time. 

Torres was an avid baseball player and played the sport in a local little league. 

Ellie Lugo, 10

Ellie Lugo was named as a victim of Tuesday’s attack by her parents, with Steven Garcia and Jennifer Lugo confirming her death several hours after she was listed among the missing. 

‘It’s hard to issue out a statement on anything right now my mind is going at 1000 miles per hour… but I do wanna send our thoughts and prayers to those who also didn’t make it home tonight!!! Our Ellie was a doll and was the happiest ever,’ Steven Lugo said Wednesday.

‘Mom and Dad love you never forget that and please try and stay by our side.’  

Nevaeh Bravo

Nevaeh Bravo was confirmed to be among the dead late Tuesday, after her cousin posted on social media following the shooting to ask for helping the girl. 

Around 9 pm, she broke the news on Twitter.

‘Unfortunately my beautiful Nevaeh was one of the many victims from todays tragedy,’ she wrote.

Sje said the schoolchild was ‘flying high’ and asked for the family to be kept in people’s prayers  

‘Our Nevaeh has been found. She is flying with the angels above. We love you Navaeh very much princess.’

‘Thank you for the support and help,’ she wrote. ‘Rest in peace my sweet girl, you didn’t deserve this.’

Bravo’s age could not immediately be confirmed.  

Tess Marie Mata

Tess Marie Mata was also among those to perish in the attack, her sister, Faith Mata, revealed in a post to Facebook Wednesday.

‘I honestly have no words just sadness, confusion, and anger,’ she wrote.

‘I’m sad because we will never get to tag team on mom and dad again and tell each other how much we mean to each other, I’m confused because how can something like this happen to my sweet, caring, and beautiful sister, and I’m angry because a coward took you from us.’

Photos shared with the post showed Tess smiling in a baby photo, snuggling with a cat, doing gymnastics, flashing a peace sign, and posing in front of a large heart mural.

‘Sissy I miss you so much, I just want to hold you and tell you how pretty you are, I want to take you outside and practice softball, I want to go on one last family vacation, I want to hear your contagious laugh, and I want you to hear me tell you how much I love you,’ she wrote.

Her age could not immediately be confirmed.

Rojelio Torres, 10

Rojelio Torres, 10, was initially reported missing by his father, but on Wednesday was confirmed dead by his family.

A person who said she was the boy’s cousin wrote on Twitter: ‘It breaks my heart to say my rojelio is now with the angels I’ll forever miss you and love you my angel.’

The child’s father , Federico Torres, told Houston reporters that he was at work when he learned about the shooting and immediately raced to the school.

‘They sent us to the hospital, to the civic center, to the hospital and here again, nothing, not even in San Antonio,’ he said. ‘They don’t tell us anything, only a photo, wait, hope that everything is well.’

Nearly half a day later, cops broke the news to the boy’s family.

‘Our entire family waited almost 12 hours since the shooting to find out Rojelio Torres, my 10-year-old nephew, was killed in this tragedy,’ Torres’ aunt, Precious Perez, told KSAT. ‘We are devastated and heartbroken. Rojer was a very intelligent, hard-working and helpful person. He will be missed and never forgotten.’ 

Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10

Jayce Luevanos, 10, died in the shooting along with his ten-year-old cousin, Jailah, the child’s mother said Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, uncle Unberto Gonzalez shared photos of both kids while offering a touching tribute.

‘My babies going to miss them like crazy!!!,’ Gonzalez wrote. ‘We luv y’all so much!!! I’m just lost right now!!! Fly high my beautiful Angels!!’

Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10

Ten-year-old Jailah Nicole Silguero was also killed in the shooting, her mother, Veronica Luevanos, tearfully revealed to Univision Wednesday.

She also lost her 10-year-old nephew Jayce to the tragedy.

She said Jailah loved to dance and film videos on TikTok.

The child reportedly also asked her mom the morning of the shooting if she could stay home from school – a request the now mourning mom rebuffed. 

‘I took her to school, but she didn’t want to go. She told her father, ‘Can I stay home?” Luevanos said, noting that it was not a common occurrence for her daughter to make such a request. ‘I think she knew something would happen.’

Luevanos’ mom confirmed the loss on Facebook Wednesday.

‘Fly high my angels. We’re going to miss yall so much,’ wrote Veronica Luevanos – whose dad had died just a week earlier.

‘I’m so heart broken,’ she wrote with a photo of her daughter and nephew. 

‘My baby I love u so much … fly high baby girl.’ 

Alithia Ramirez, 10

 Fourth grader Alithia Ramirez was confirmed dead early Wednesday by her father, Ryan Ramirez, who shared a post to Facebook showing the 10-year-old with angel’s wings. He had used the same photo the previous day as he pleaded for help finding her after the massacre

He had heartbreakingly used the same photo the previous day as he desperately pleaded for help finding her after the massacre.

‘Trying to find my daughter Alithia. I called all the hospitals and nothing,’ he wrote at the time.

He also reporters during his frantic search, ‘I’m trying to find out where my baby’s at.’ 

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, was another killed by Ramos Tuesday – along with her cousin, who has yet to be identified.

Annabell’s father spent the afternoon after the shooting in frantic search for his daughter. 

Speaking to KHOU11 Tuesday, he lamented at how he was at a loss as to what do, having little success with the search.

‘They’re not letting us in at the hospital right now so we don’t know where to go.’

 She has since been declared to be among the dead.

Miranda Mathis, 11

Miranda Mathis, 11,  was also confirmed as another casualty from the mass shooting early Wednesday, in a Facebook post by an older cousin who earlier that day had posted a desperate plea for help in locating the child.

‘My sweet baby cousin we loved u dearly,’ Deanna Miller wrote alongside a photo of the child with angel wings.

‘I’m so sorry this happen to u baby please keep my family in your prayers,’ she grieved.

Miller’s kids had also been at the school at the time of the shooting, but survived the attack.

One of her sons told her that they were ushered out of a window by staffers during the attack and subsequently ran to a nearby funeral home after ‘he heard the shooter say he was gonna kill all the kids.’

Alexandria ‘Lexi’ Aniyah Rubio, 10

Alexandria Aniyah Rubio – who was better known to friends as ‘Lexi’ – was confirmed dead just before midnight on Tuesday.

The ten-year-old was shot dead just hours after posing for a photo with her parents at the school’s honor roll ceremony.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio, the girl’s mother, wrote of the loss: ‘My beautiful, smart, Alexandria Aniyah Rubio was recognized today for All-A honor roll. She also received the good citizen award. We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school. We had no idea this was goodbye.’ 

Maite Yuleana

Maite was another student to die in the attack that had attended the honor roll ceremony just hours before.

A cousin of the girl’s mother, Ana Rodriguez, announced the loss Wednesday. 

‘It is with a heavy heart I come on here on behalf of my cousin Ana who lost her sweet baby girl in yesterday’s senseless shooting.  

‘We are deeply saddened by the lose [sic] of this sweet smart little girl…. God bless and may she R.I.P Maite Rodriguez we love you.’

Another relative shared a photo of Maite with her honor roll certificate.

Her age could not immediately be confirmed.

Jose Flores Jr, 10

 Jose Flores, 10, was also killed in the shooting after attending the honor roll ceremony, where he was pictured triumphantly clutching a certificate celebrating the accomplishment.

Uncle Christopher Salazar confirmed to the Washington Post Wednesday that his 10-year-old nephew was among the dead, after sharing a tribute to the child on Facebook.

‘I love you and I miss you,’ Salazar wrote in the post.  

The boy’s father described Jose to CNN as an amazing boy and big brother to his two younger siblings.

‘He was always fill of energy,’ Jose Flores Sr. said. ‘Ready to play till the night.’

He said the boy loved playing baseball and video games.

Irma Garcia, 46 – fourth grade teacher

Garcia, who co-taught with Mireles for the last five year, had been at Robb Elementary for 23 years. 

Married to Joe for 24 years, she was a mother of four – Cristian, completing Marine boot camp; Jose, attending Texas State university University; Lyliana, a sophomore in high school; and Alysandra, a 7th grader. 

‘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,’ tweeted her nephew John. 

‘She was loved by many and will truly be missed.’

She was nominated as teacher of the year for the 2018-19 awards, organized by Trinity University. 

Eva Mireles, 44 – fourth grade teacher

Mireles, a fourth grade teacher, was identified by her family as being one of the staff members shot dead. She had worked in education for 17 years. 

er husband Ruben Ruiz, a veteran detective and SWAT team member currently serving as a police officer with the school district, held regular active shooter drills for the schools – most recently at the end of March.