As death stared Amerie Jo Garza in the face Tuesday, the 10-year-old tried to call for help — and became one of 19 children in her fourth-grade class to die.
All of the children killed in Tuesday’s attack were in the same fourth-grade class at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, authorities said, according to The Associated Press.
The shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was killed in a gun battle after law enforcement broke into the classroom.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Berlina Irene Arreola, Amerie’s grandmother, said Ramos told the class, “You’re going to die.”
The girl acted, according to her grandmother.
“And she 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,” Arreola said, relaying what she said she had been told by authorities and survivors of the shooting.
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
She was killed in her Texas school hours after this photo was taken pic.twitter.com/PLHXzmUGT7
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 25, 2022
“My Grand Daughter was shot and killed for trying to call 911, she died a Hero trying to get help for her and her fellow classmates,” Arreola wrote in a text message to the Daily Beast.
Both teachers in the room — Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia — were shot and killed, the outlet reported.
Amerie Jo’s father wrote about her on Facebook and shared a message for all families, according to Sky News.
“Thank you everyone for the prayers and help trying to find my baby. She’s been found. My little love is now flying high with the angels above,” Angel Garza wrote.
“Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them.
“I love you Amerie Jo. Watch over your baby brother for me.”
“I was in kind of in shock,” he said when he first heard she was a victim, according to The New York Times.
Then he went through his pictures of her.
“That’s when I kind of had the release,” he said. “I started crying and started mourning,”
“My little love is now flying high with the angels above,” said the father of 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza.
His daughter was one of the 19 children killed in Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. He said she had just turned 10 exactly two weeks ago. https://t.co/lgbe4mvp8D pic.twitter.com/3xp4N5fy7u
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) May 25, 2022
Arreola told the Daily Beast her granddaughter “was just super-outgoing. She had a generous heart.”
“She was always there to lend anybody a helping hand. She was very quick to be a teacher’s pet. She had just gotten her award today for A-B Honor Roll,” Arreola said. “She was very smart and she was looking forward to making a life for herself.”
