These Are the Victims of the Uvalde, Texas, School Shooting

The Uvalde elementary school shooting is now the third deadliest school shooting in U.S history, with 21 victims.

Nineteen students along with two teachers were killed in the incident after a gunman, whom officials have identified as an 18-year-old who had attended a nearby high school, went into the school on Tuesday morning with two military-style rifles. The gunman was later killed, according to authorities.

Read More: What We Know So Far About the Uvalde Shooting

Here’s what we know about the victims so far:

Jacklyn Cazares, 10

Jacklyn’s father, Jacinto Cazares, confirmed on Facebook that his daughter was one of the victims in the shooting.

“We’re devastated in ways, I hope no one ever goes thru,” he wrote. “It hurts us to our souls. We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts, for you love, support and prayers. My babygirl will always be with us and those she has touched.”

Cazares said his daughter did not like to see kids being picked on and was a “firecracker.”

“All in all, full of love. She had a big heart,” he told the AP.

Her cousin, Annabelle Rodriguez, was also a victim of the mass shooting.

Eliahna Garcia, 9

Eliahna was a fan of sports and dancing, according to her family.

Her father, Steven Garcia, posted pictures of his daughter holding a basketball in one hand and a trophy in the other with the caption: “The happiest day of her life…”

“Our Ellie was a doll and was the happiest ever,” he wrote in a separate post. “I was gonna DJ for her at her party like she wanted me too!!!”Her aunt, Siria Arizmemdi, described Eliahna as happy and very outgoing. “She was big into family—enjoyed being with the family.”

Irma Garcia, 48

Garcia taught at Robb Elementary School for 23 years and had worked with Eva Mireles (the only other teacher who was killed) for the past five years.

Garcia reportedly died while trying to shield her students from gunfire.

“Please know, and let people know on behalf of the family, I’m more than grateful and elated at the overwhelming love and support—whether it be the kind words, the donations or even just spreading the word, it means a lot to us,” her nephew, John Martinez, told the Detroit Free Press.

Uziyah Garcia, 8

Uziyah was confirmed as one of the victims by his grandfather, according to the AP. Manny Renfro called his grandson “the sweetest little boy” that he’s ever known.

Renfro said that he saw Uziyah during his spring break when he went to visit him in San Antonio. He said that they spent time throwing a football together and that he was teaching his grandchild about pass patterns.

“There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like I practiced,” Renfro recalled to KSAT.

Amerie Jo Garza, 10

Angel Garza, Amerie’s father, posted a photo of him and his daughter on Facebook after learning that she was one of the students killed.

“Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you Amerie jo. Watch over your baby brother for me,” he wrote.

Xavier Javier Lopez, 10

Xavier was the first student to be identified as a victim. Lisa Garza, his cousin, told the Associated Press that he was excited about the summer months ahead and was looking forward to spending time swimming.

“He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,” she said. “He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.”

Xavier was reportedly with his mother at an awards ceremony at the school just a few hours before the shooting began.

Read More: Guns Became the Leading Cause of Death for American Children and Teens in 2020

Eva Mireles, 44

Mireles was an educator for 17 years, according to her bio on the school’s website. “Welcome to the 4th grade! We have a wonderful year ahead of us!” she wrote. She was married to a school district police officer and had a daughter.

“I have a supportive, fun, and loving family, “ her bio says. “I love running, hiking, and now you just might see me riding a bike!!”

Her daughter, Adalynn, tweeted a long post confirming her mother’s death and reminiscing about their times together.

“My beautiful mom, thank you for the funniest memories. Thank you for the best times of my life. Thank you for being my best friend,” the message says. “Thank you for being the best mom anyone could ask for.”

Mireles’ aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, called the shooting “senseless.”

“I’m furious that these shooting continue, these children are innocent, rifles should not be easily available to all,” Delgado told KSAT news. “This is [my] hometown, a small community of less [than] 20,000. I never imagined this would happen.”

Read More: How to Help Victims of the Texas School Shooting

Annabelle Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10

Annabelle was Jacklyn Cazares‘ cousin. The two were close, according to Jacklyn’s father.

After the shooting on Tuesday, Annabelle’s father spent much of the afternoon looking for his daughter. He later discovered that she was one of the victims.

Layla Salazar, 10

Layla’s dad, Vincent Salazar, said his daughter was a fan of swimming and Tik Tok videos, the AP reported. She also won six races during the school’s field day. “She was a lot of fun,” he said.

Her father also said that the two of them loved to sing “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses when he would drive her to school.

Jaliah Nicole Silguero, 10

Multiple family members took to social media to confirm that Jaliah was one of the victims in yesterday’s shooting. Her mother, Veronica Luevanos, posted on Facebook that her daughter did not deserve to die in such a way. “I’m so heart broken baby…We miss you so much,” the post says.

Luevanos told Univision that her daughter did not want to go to school on Tuesday. “All the time she likes to go to school,” her mother said tearfully in Spanish. “I believed she knew something was going to happen.”

This post will be updated as further victims are identified and confirmed.

—With reporting by Nik Popli

Correction, June 6

The original version of this story misstated Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia’s age. She was 9 years old, not 10.