The fourth-grade teacher who was fatally shot along with at least 19 children in a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, has been identified as 44-year-old Eva Mireles.

Mireles was identified on Tuesday as one of the 21 victims of the shooting at the Robb Elementary school in the town of Uvalde. At the time of writing, 19 children and two adults were killed in the massacre.

Mireles had worked in the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District for 17 years, her aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, revealed in a statement.

Per Sky News, Delgado said: "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 ... All we can do is pray hard for our country, state, schools, and especially the families of all."

According to Robb Elementary School's website, Mireles was a mother and wife who had a penchant for hiking and running.

The gunman has been identified by police as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. He reportedly made his way inside the school with a handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before "horrifically, incomprehensibly" opening fire, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Chief of Police Pete Arredondo has said that the shooting took place at 11:32AM (local time) on Tuesday, May 24.

The teenager is also suspected of shooting his grandmother before entering the school. According to Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada, she is in a critical condition.

According to reports, Ramos crashed a vehicle near the school before entering the elementary school. He was able to enter several classrooms during the rampage.

Delgado told the New York Times her niece had lost her life while trying to protect her students. She went on describe her as "very loved" and the "fun of the party".

Amber Ybarra, a 34-year-old relative of Mireles, referred to the late teacher as having been an "adventurous" person.

"I would definitely say those wonderful things about her. She is definitely going to be very missed," she added.

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Nineteen children and two adults have died after a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in South Texas.

Per BBC News, the shooting took place at Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde.

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Chief of Police Pete Arredondo has said that the shooting took place at 11:32AM (local time) on Tuesday, May 24.

Investigators say that the 18-year-old suspect reportedly entered the school carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, high-capacity magazines, and a handgun.

The teen is also suspected of shooting his grandmother prior to entering the school. CNN reports that she is in critical condition, per Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has named the suspect as Salvador Ramos. Local media report that the 18-year-old was potentially a local high school student.

Abbott added that Ramos allegedly crashed a vehicle near the school before entering the elementary school to "horrifically" and "incomprehensibly" open fire. The suspect was reportedly able to enter several classrooms during the rampage.

Estrada told CNN: "The suspect did crash near a ditch nearby the school. That's where he exited his vehicle with what I believe was a rifle and that's when he attempted to enter the school where he was engaged by law enforcement."

At this time, investigators believe the attacker "did act alone".

The gunman was shot dead by law enforcement officers, officials have said. Two border agents were reportedly shot in an exchange with the gunman, but are now both in a stable condition.

Fox 11 has reported that one of the adults killed in the shooting was fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles.

Tom Nordwick, a spokesperson for the Uvalde Memorial Hospital has said that 13 children and a man in his 40s were being treated for injuries.

Additionally, University Hospital in San Antonio has said in its most recent tweet that staff are treating a 66-year-old woman, two 10-year-old girls, and a nine-year-old girl at this time.

Tuesday's shooting marks the 30th shooting at a K-12 school in 2022 and is the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, per CNN.

Robb Elementary School is a predominantly Hispanic school and teaches children between the ages of seven and 10. It currently has nearly 500 students enrolled.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local and state authorities with the ongoing investigation into the shooting.

Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the victims and anybody else affected by this tragedy.

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A mother of one of the 21 victims of last week's school shooting in Texas was told her daughter "might have lived" had the situation played out differently.

The fourth-grader, who was one of the 19 students shot dead at Robb Elementary in Uvalde on Tuesday, bled to death after she was shot in her kidney.

"Her child had been shot by one bullet through the back through the kidney area," State Sen. Ronald Gutierrez said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning. "The first responder that they eventually talked to said that their child likely bled out. In that span of 30 or 40 minutes extra, that little girl might've lived."

If the police had breached the classroom sooner than they did, the girl might have received treatment sooner and survived her injuries.

AP News previously reported that police waited more than an hour to breach the classroom in which fourth graders were trapped with the shooter. The young students repeatedly called 911, including one child who pleased: "Please send the police now."

A Texas official said at a news conference on Friday that the Uvalde police made the "wrong decision" by waiting so long to breach the classroom, where the attacker ultimately shot and killed 19 children and two teachers.

"From the benefit of hindsight, where I’m sitting now, of course it was not the right decision," Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said, per NPR. "It was the wrong decision, period."

"[The onsite commander] was convinced at that time that there was no more threat to the children and that the subject was barricaded and that they had time to organize with the proper equipment to go in," McCraw added.

Last Tuesday's massacre in the mostly Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a school in the US since 20 children and six adults were shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.

The 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, entered Robb Elementary School at around 11:32 AM. He was armed with a handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before "horrifically, incomprehensibly" opening fire, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

The teen also shot his grandmother and crashed his car near the school prior to entering the building. He was eventually shot dead by law enforcement officers. Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the attack.

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Leaked surveillance footage shows the moment an off-duty sheriff’s deputy had to be held back by his colleagues as the Robb Elementary School shooting unfolded.

Yesterday, the Austin American-Statesman and its TV partner KVUE released surveillance footage showing officers responding to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24.

The attack saw a gunman enter the school and open fire on two adjoining classrooms.

Two teachers and nineteen children were killed in the attack. Among them was 10-year-old fourth-grader Alexandra "Lexi" Rubio - the daughter of Uvalde County Sheriff Deputy Felix Rubio.

As reported by the New York Post and Insider, the security footage shows the moment dad Felix stood helpless in the school hallway, as his colleagues held tightly onto his shirt.

Following the shooting, he told reporters: "I get to the building where — I see where everybody’s posted: in front of my baby girl’s two doors."

Per ABC 11, Mr. Rubio would also tell Texas House lawmakers that despite being off duty at the time, he immediately rushed to the school when he heard about the shooting.

"Once I [saw] them open the door and open fire, my heart dropped," he told lawmakers.

The Independent reports how more than 100 rounds were fired inside the classroom, with the footage showing officers retreating down the hall at one point.

Following the tragedy, Felix and Lexi's mom Kimberly spoke at a House Committee on Oversight and Reform about the last time they saw their daughter alive.

That morning, the school held award ceremonies for students - with Lexi receiving a "Good Citizen Award", TODAY reports. She also received recognition for being a straight-A student.

"At the conclusion of the ceremony, we took photos with her before asking her to pose for a picture with her teacher, Mr. Reyes. That photo, her last photo ever, was taken at approximately 10:54AM," Kimberly said.

To celebrate their daughter's hard work, they promised to get her ice cream later that evening.

"We told her we loved her and we would pick her up after school. I can still see her walking with us towards the exit," the doting mom said. "In the reel that keeps scrolling across my memories, she turns her head and smiles back at us to acknowledge my promise, and then we left.

"I left my daughter at that school, and that decision will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Per the New York Times, Felix Rubio briefly spoke about the moment he was in the hallway with his colleagues, saying: "It sucks whenever you’re in the same field with your baby and you can’t go in there... and go get her."

The parents are now fighting for gun reform, with Felix voicing his opinion that officials should outlaw the purchase of AR-15 rifles - an opinion he admits that some people in the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office may not support.

Officers responding to the scene have faced heavy scrutiny for waiting 77 minutes to engage the gunman.

However, parents have also criticized the leaking of the footage, with Felicia Martinez - the mother of Xavier James Lopez - saying on Tuesday: We want justice for our kids [...] We're the parents who lost our children. We were supposed to do this together first - not for the world.

"We're suffering - and I know the world is suffering too - but these were our babies, our babies who were taken from us. So to the person who leaked it: Screw you."

The chairman of the state House Investigative Committee, state Rep. Dustin Burrows also took to Twitter to voice his disappointment, writing: "While I am glad that a small portion is now available for the public, I do believe watching the entire segment of law enforcement's response, or lack thereof, is also important."

Burrows added: "I am also disappointed the victim's families and the Uvalde community's requests to watch the video first, and not have certain images and audio of the violence, were not achieved."

Our thoughts continue to go out to everybody affected by this tragedy.

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A teenage girl who was left orphaned by last week's Texas elementary school shooting has written a heartbreaking tribute to her parents.

Irma Garcia, 48, was one of two teachers who was killed after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos barricaded himself in a classroom and opened fire with an AK15 rifle at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24.

Fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles and 19 students were also tragically killed in the vicious attack, marking this as the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary school tragedy in 2012.

Irma's husband Joe Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday (May 26) - two days after his wife's death - and just hours after laying down flowers at his wife's memorial.

The couple leaves behind four children - Cristan, 23, Jose, 19, Lyliana, 15, and their youngest daughter Alysandra, 13.

The couple's 15-year-old daughter recently visited the site of her parents' memorial to pay tribute to them.

Per the Mirror, she shared the following written tribute: "Dad, I know this was too much for you. Your heart could not take it. I will spend the rest of my life fighting for you and mom. Your names will not be forgotten. Your daughter, Lyliana."

A notice about the couple was also posted on the local mortuary, which reads: "Irma Linda Garcia of Uvalde, Texas, was welcomed by our Lord and Saviour while selflessly protecting her angels on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, at the age of 48.

"Jose Antonio Garcia joined the love of his life and was also welcomed into the arms of his wife, Irma, and our Lord on May 26, 2022."

The couple was married for 24 years and will be buried together following a private ceremony at Uvalde's Sacred Heart Church.

Last week, Joe’s cousin Debra Austin shared news of his death via a GoFundMe page dedicated to the pair, which has since raised over $2.7 million.

Joe and Irma's memorial was visited by the families in the Uvalde community, including the parents of 10-year-old Annabell Rodriguez who also lost her life during the school shooting. Her parents read tributes to her at the memorial this weekend.

Before arriving at the school, the gunman had also shot his grandma, 66-year-old Celia Gonzalez, who is currently being treated in hospital for her injuries, alongside the wounded children who survived the attack.

Ramos was later shot dead by police at the scene of the crime.

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy.