Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary, was beaming with pride on Tuesday in a family photo posted on Facebook by her mother showing the girl holding an “A” Honor Roll certificate she earned for excellent school grades
Hours after the photo was taken, a gunman burst into Alexandria’s classroom and killed her, 18 other children and two teachers in the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade
“We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school,” said Alexandria’s mother Kimberly Mata-RuMata-Rubio was one of many who shared memories of their murdered relatives and friends on social media. The posts were heart-breaking to read
“My baby you didn’t deserve this,” Veronica Luevanos, the mother of fourth grader Jailah Silguero, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. The post also mourned the girl’s classmates, teachers and cousin Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, who also were killed in the shooting
When thinking back on her deceased sister Tess Mata, Faith Mata said she mostly remembers the fun times they had together
“Sissy I miss you so much,” Faith wrote on Facebook. “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
The Texas rampage was the deadliest school shooting since December 2012 when a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
Uvalde, deep in the Texas Hill Country region about 80 miles (130 km) west of San Antonio, has about 16,000 residents, nearly 80% of them Hispanic or Latino, according to U.S. Census data. Like Newtown, it is a close-knit community of strong family connections and friendships