These Are the Victims of the Texas School Shooting (2024)

A gruesome mass shooting at a Texas elementary school cut short the lives of 21 people — the vast majority children who were nearing the end of the school year with bright futures ahead of them.

Authorities haven't yet released the victims' names, but information about them has emerged from their families.

Among those killed were long-tenured teachers, fourth graders who loved dancing to TikTok videos and recent honor roll recipients; sports lovers and "baby angels"; cousins, siblings, daughters and sons.

Here's what we know about those killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

EVA MIRELES

Family members confirmed the name of one of the victims to NBC 5. Eva Mireles was a fourth-grade teacher at Robb Elementary. Mireles’ aunt said she died trying to protect her students. Allie Spillyards reports.

Teacher Eva Mireles died in the attack on Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, her aunt Lydia M. Delgado confirmed. Delgado said Mireles had been a teacher for 17 years and that she was an educator who, “took pride in teaching mostly students of Latino heritage.”

In a post on the school’s website at the start of the school year, Mireles introduced herself to her new students.

“Welcome to the 4th grade! We have a wonderful year ahead of us!” she wrote, noting she had been teaching 17 years, loved running and hiking, and had a “supportive, fun, and loving family.” She mentioned that her husband was a school district police officer, and they had a grown daughter and three “furry friends.”

IRMA GARCIA

Irma Garcia was the other slain teacher, her son Christian Garcia confirmed to NBC News. Both teachers died shielding their students from gunfire.

Garcia wrote about her four children, including one who was in the Marines, in a letter introducing herself to the class.

Two days after the mass shooting, Irma's husband Joe Garcia suffered a "medical emergency" after attending his wife's memorial and died Thursday morning. He was was 50.

UZIYAH GARCIA

Nikki Cross confirmed the death of her nephew Uziyah Garcia, who was in the fourth grade.

“The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,” Garcia's grandfather Manny Renfro, told the Associated Press. “I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.”

Renfro said Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo during 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,” Renfro said. “There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.”

ALITHIA RAMIREZ

A family member confirmed to NBC News that Alithia Ramirez was killed in Tuesday's shooting.

Ramirez's father, Ryan Ramirez, had waited for hours outside the reunification center looking for his daughter. He told local news outlets that he called several hospitals but couldn't get any information. Tuesday evening, he took to social media, posting a photo of Alithia on Facebook pleading for help in finding her.

AMERIE JO GARZA

Amerie Jo Garza was about to finish the fourth grade when she killed. Her father confirmed her death to NBC News. Garza was shot while dialing 911, her stepfather Angel Garza said.

Angel, a medical aid who responded to the school in the aftermath of the shooting, said he learned of Amerie's death through a surviving classmate who was distraught after the gunman "shot my best friend." That friend, Angel learned, was Amerie.

Amerie was described as a happy child who had just gotten her first cell phone for turning 10 and had just gotten a certificate the morning of the shooting for making the honor roll. She also loved to paint and draw and work in clay.

XAVIER JAMES LOPEZ

Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, Texas, mourned the death of her 10-year-old cousin, Xavier James Lopez, who had been eagerly awaiting a summer of swimming.

“He was just a loving ... little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen,” she told the Associated Press. “He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.”

Lopez was at an awards ceremony with his mother hours earlier, KSAT-TV of San Antonio reported.

ANNABELL GUADALUPE RODRIGUEZ

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, a third-grade student was killed, her family told KHOU of Houston.

Her father had spent hours looking for her before it was confirmed that she was among the 19 students killed. Family members told the station she was in the same classroom as her second cousin, Jacklyn Cazares, who was also fatally shot.

JACKLYN CAZARES

Javier Cazares told ABC News he found out Tuesday afternoon that his 9-year-old daughter Jacklyn Cazares had been shot in her classroom. She was with a group of five girls, including her second cousin, Annabelle Rodriguez, who formed a tight group of friends, the Associated Press reported.

“They are all gone now,” Javier said.

The extended families of the slain cousins gathered Wednesday to mourn and comfort each other over barbecue. Javier described his daughter as a “firecracker” who “had a voice, she didn’t like bullies, she didn’t like kids being picked on.”

“Taken out of arms and lives, in this freaking cowardly way, so young, so innocent, full of life and love,” Javier wrote on Facebook. “It hurts us to our souls.”

ELIAHANA CRUZ TORRES

Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10, a fourth-grade student, was confirmed dead after Tuesday's shooting, her grandfather, Adolfo Cruz, told ABC News.

JOSE FLORES JR.

Jose Flores, 10, a fourth-grade student, had received an award for making the honor roll before he was killed, his uncle Christopher Salazar told the Washington Post.

“I’m going to miss you baby Jose, I still can’t believe this happened my heart is broken just hearing them tell us your gone,” Salazar wrote in aFacebook post. “It hurts me I love you so much and I wish you were still here. I’m going to miss you soo much rest in paradise my beautiful angel.”

ELIAHNA GARCIA

The family of Eliahna "Ellie" Garcia is grieving the loss of the 10-year-old who was described as "very happy and very outgoing."

“She loved to dance and play sports," said Eliahna’s aunt Siria Arizmendi, a fifth-grade teacher at Flores Elementary School in the same district. "She was big into family, enjoyed being with the family.”

Garcia's mom, Jennifer Lugo, had posted a photo of Eliahna on Facebook in the aftermath of the shooting, asking for help in finding her.

Her great-grandfather Rafael Arizmendi toldTelemundo that Eliahna's parents and four siblings are "destroyed" over her death.

ROJELIO TORRES

Rojelio Torres, 10, was confirmed dead by his mother, Evadulia Orta, ABC News reports. She described him as a "very smart and loving child."

JAILAH NICOLE SILGUERO

Veronica Luevanos, whose 11-year-old daughter, Jailah Nicole Silguero, was among the victims, told Univision in a tearful interview that her daughter did not want to go to school Tuesday and seemed to sense something bad was going to happen.

Jailah was killed alongside her cousin Jayce Carmelo Luevanos.

"They were nothing but loving baby angels, always had a smile on their face just full of life," a family member said in a statement to ABC News. "I can't believe this happened to our angels."

JAYCE CARMELO LUEVANOS

Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10, attended class with his cousin Jailah Nicole Silguero before they were both killed in Tuesday's shooting.

MAKENNA LEE ELROD

Makenna Lee Elrod, 10, was confirmed killed in the shooting, her uncle Kyle McCullough told NBC News.

"She was beautiful, funny, smart, and amazing," her aunt Allison McCullough wrote on a GoFundMe page for the family. "She had the biggest heart and loved her family and friends so much. Her smile would light up a room."

NEVAEH BRAVO

Esmeralda Bravo, 63, the grandmother of 10-year-old Nevaeh Bravo, held a picture of her at a vigil Wednesday night and confirmed to photographers from the AP and The Los Angeles Times that Nevaeh was among those killed.

TESS MARIE MATA

Tess Marie Mata, 10, was confirmed to be among the dead by her mom and sister, who spoke to the Washington Post. The fourth grader loved TikTok dance videos, Ariana Grande and the Houston Astros, her sister, Faith, told the paper.

ALEXANDRIA 'LEXI' ANIYAH RUBIO

Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio was among those killed in the shooting, her mother confirmed to NBC News.

Her father, Felix Rubio, is a deputy with the Uvalde County Sheriff's Office and was one of many law enforcement officers who responded to the school, he told CNN.

LAYLA SALAZAR

Layla Salazar was killed in the Uvalde school shooting, her family says they moved to the small community to have a safer place for her to grow up.

Vincent Salazar said his 11-year-old daughter, Layla died in the school shooting. Vincent told NBC DFW that his daughter loved to swim, run track and dance to TikTok videos.

She was fast, he said, noting she won six races at the school’s field day, and Vincent proudly posted a photo of Layla showing off two of her ribbons on Facebook.

He drove her to school every morning and they would sing along together to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses.

MIRANDA MATHIS

Miranda Mathis, 11, was confirmed as one of the victims killed in her fourth grade class, her family told NBC.

Leslie Ruiz, a friend of Miranda's mother, told the Washington Post that "she was a bright girl" who was also "fun" and "spunky," as well as, "very smart."

Her cousin Deanna Miller also wrote on Facebook expressing her grief. "My lovely cousin, we love you and are sorry this happened to you baby," Miller wrote.

MAITE YULEANA RODRIGUEZ

Maite Yuleana Rodriguez was killed as a result of Tuesday's shooting, her uncle Hector Coronado, confirmed to NBC News.

Maite's family has declined NBC's requests for an interview, but her mother told Rolling Stone in an interview published Thursday that she's "destroyed" by the loss of her only child who had "so much to offer" and dreamt of becoming a marine biologist when she grew up.

"She was very smart and competitive," Rodriguez told the outlet. " She started looking at universities on the internet and had her heart set on the Texas A&M in Corpus Christi."

Rodriguez said it's "absolute" insanity that an 18-year-old can by an assault rifle but can't purchase alcohol, and lambasted Gov. Gregg Abbott over his refusal to even consider stronger firearm laws in light of the massacre.

"He is an absolute embarrassment to Texas," Rodriguez said.

Correction (May 27, 2022, 4:30 p.m ET): This story was corrected to reflect the correct middle name of one of the victims. Xavier Lopez's middle name is James, not Javier.