“It’s time to die,” the Uvalde, Texas, shooter told students trapped in a Robb Elementary classroom, according to a survivor. The man then fatally shot 19 students and two teachers before law enforcement shot and killed him.
A fourth-grade student recounted his ordeal in a report by San Antonio-based Kens5-TV. The boy reportedly told a friend to hide under something to keep the gunman from seeing them, after hearing gunshots through the door.
“I was hiding hard,” he said, “and I was telling my friend to not talk because he is going to hear us.”
Five children hid under a table covered with a tablecloth that may have shielded them from the shooter’s view, probably saving their lives. The boy shared other heartbreaking details about events in his chaotic classroom.
“When the cops came, the cop said: ‘Yell if you need help!’ And one of the persons in my class said ‘help.’ The guy overheard and he came in and shot her,” the boy said. “The cop barged into that classroom. The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting.”
The fourth-grade boy said he came out from under the table after the shooting ended. “I just opened the curtain and I just put my hand out,” he said. “I got out with my friend. I knew it was police. I saw the armor and the shield.”
Teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles saved their lives, the boy stated, adding they were nice teachers.
“They went in front of my classmates to help,” the boy said, “to save them.”
He noted it made him feel better hugging his family and telling them about his feelings. The report noted he spoke with a counselor and said a highlight was seeing his friend, who also survived.
Uvalde is a small city with a population of 15,214 in the 2020 census. It is located about 80 miles west of San Antonio and 54 miles east of the border with Mexico.
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