A fourth-grade teacher is the first victim to be identified in Tuesday’s deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Eva Mireles was killed while trying to protect her students after a gunman walked into the school and opened fire, The New York Times, which interviewed Mireles’ aunt Lydia Martinez Delgado, reported. The brutal massacre at the school left 19 children and two adults dead, with many others injured. The gunman was fatally shot at the school by responding officers.
Robb Elementary, which is part of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, teaches students in the second through fourth grades.
“What happened in Uvalde is a horrific tragedy that cannot be tolerated in the state of Texas,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news briefing Tuesday.
Mireles had been a teacher for 17 years and was in her 40s, according to The New York Times.
In a staff bio on the Robb Elementary website, Mireles wrote that she had a “supportive, fun and loving family.” She also mentioned that her family included a school district officer, whom she identified as “Ruiz,” and a “college graduate daughter,” Adalynn.
Delgado told the Times that Mireles was a hiker who was “very loved” and was proud to teach at a school with mostly Latino students.
“She was the fun of the party,” Delgado told the paper.
In a statement sent to KSAT-TV in San Antonio, Delgado said she was furious that these mass shootings continued to target innocent children:
“My niece, Eva Mireles, approximately 17 yr teacher for UCISD along with another teacher and 18 children lost her lives to a senseless tragic shooting.
I’m furious that these shooting continue, these children are innocent, rifles should not be easily available to all.
This is a my hometown a small community of less then 20,000. I never imagined this would happen to especially to loved ones. not all the facts have been released yet all we can do is pray hard for our country, state, schools and especially the families of all.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
