Who was Eva Mireles? Teacher killed by Salvador Ramos was a mom who loved hiking
UVALDE, TEXAS: One of the victims in the Texas elementary school shooting has been identified as Eva Mireles, a fourth-grade teacher. Teen shooter Salvador Ramos opened fire at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, May 24, killing over a dozen children and more than one adult. The death toll has risen to 21, with at least 19 children killed at Robb Elementary School. Other victims include one teacher and a second school employee.
Hours before carrying out the massacre, the shooter sent a chilling message to an acquaintance on Instagram, saying, "I'm about to". Born in North Dakota, Ramos lived in Uvalde. He was a student at Uvalde High School before he found work at Wendy's. Besides Mireles, other victims of the deadly shooting that have been identified are students - Xavier Lopez, Nevaeh Bravo, Amerie Jo Garza, Uziyah Garcia - and teacher Irma Garcia.
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Who was Eva Mireles?
Mireles, 44, worked for the Uvalde school district for 17 years, the teacher’s aunt Lydia Martinez Delgado said. Her husband Ruben Ruiz was a police officer who held an active shooter drill at the Uvalde high school just two months ago. Unnervingly, both Ruiz and Ramos were once students at the school.
A neighbor of Mireles told New York Post that the veteran “was just a sweetheart.” “It’s a tragedy that this happened to a person like this,” said the neighbor. “She was the sweetest person and she would take her cute dogs out on walks and she would say, ‘Hi.’" She added, "Her husband is a police officer and they are just very nice people. We are in shock something like this would happen. This is a quiet community.”
On Mireles' profile on Robb Elementary's website, she said, "I have a supportive, fun, and loving family, which includes a UCISD officer (Ruiz), college graduate daughter (Adalynn), and 3 furry friends(Callie, Kane,& Koda)." She added, "I love running, hiking, and now you just might see me riding a bike!!"
Texas State Sen Roland Gutierrez reportedly said that the two assault rifles used in the massacre were bought by the shooter on his 18th birthday. Under a new Texan law passed in September, people aged 18-21 could buy guns if they had a protective order for being at risk of family violence, stalking, prostitution, or sex trafficking. Under the law, the requirement for a permit for a handgun was removed. Rifles were already permitted in Texas without the need for licenses.
Tuesday's shooting was one of the deadliest school massacres in US history. The incident brings to mind two other similar shootings: one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed in 2012, and another where 32 people were killed at Virginia Tech in 2007. This shooting also comes just days after 10 people were shot dead by a gunman at a supermarket in Buffalo.