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Remembering the victims of the school shooting in Uvalde

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

We're still learning the names of the victims of the mass shooting that took place in a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. And piece by piece, we're learning a little bit more about who they were, what they liked to do, who they loved and who loved them. We're going to take the next few minutes to say their names out loud and share some small details about each of them.

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Forty-four-year-old Eva Mireles was one of two fourth-grade teachers who died. She's remembered as an adventurous and loving mother and wife.

CHANG: Mireles shared a classroom with Irma Garcia. The mother of four had taught at the school for 23 years. One of her students, 10-year-old Javier Lopez, was described by his family as a very bubbly boy who loved dancing with his brothers and his mom. He was looking forward to a summer of swimming.

PFEIFFER: Alexandria Aniyah Rubio was 10 and a straight-A student. A photo of her beaming as she holds up her honor roll certificate was shared on Facebook by her mother. Her mother also posted that she had no idea when she dropped her little girl off on Tuesday that it would be a final goodbye.

CHANG: The grandfather of Uziyah Garcia called the 8-year-old the sweetest little boy that I have ever known. Grandfather and grandson had spent the summer together learning to play football. Layla Salazar loved to swim and dance to TikTok videos, her father said. Each day on the way to school, the pair of them would listen to "Sweet Child O' Mind" by Guns N' Roses.

PFEIFFER: The family of Amerie Jo Garza says she was a happy kid. She had just turned 10 and made the honor roll. She was also an artist who liked to draw and paint and sculpt with clay. Her grandmother said whenever she saw flowers, she would draw them.

CHANG: Ellie Garcia, also 10, loved to dance, play sports and spend time with her family.

PFEIFFER: Firecracker is the word Jackie Cazares' family used to describe the 9-year-old. She had a voice, they said, and didn't like bullies, and she didn't like kids being picked on. Her second cousin and good friend Annabelle Rodriguez was also killed.

CHANG: Cousins Jayce Carmelo Luevanos and Jaliah Nicole Silguero died alongside each other. They were cousins. Jaliah's mother told Univision that she did not want to go to school Tuesday and seemed to sense something bad was going to happen.

PFEIFFER: Those are just some of the names of the people shot and killed at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Lauren Hodges is an associate producer for All Things Considered. She joined the show in 2018 after seven years in the NPR newsroom as a producer and editor. She doesn't mind that you used her pens, she just likes them a certain way and asks that you put them back the way you found them, thanks. Despite years working on interviews with notable politicians, public figures, and celebrities for NPR, Hodges completely lost her cool when she heard RuPaul's voice and was told to sit quietly in a corner during the rest of the interview. She promises to do better next time.
Courtney Dorning has been a Senior Editor for NPR's All Things Considered since November 2018. In that role, she's the lead editor for the daily show. Dorning is responsible for newsmaker interviews, lead news segments and the small, quirky features that are a hallmark of the network's flagship afternoon magazine program.

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