Angel Garza was one of many parents who rushed to Robb Elementary School this past week, only to be met with the worst news of his life about his daughter.
“One little girl was just covered in blood head to toe. I thought she was injured, I asked her what was wrong. She said she was OK — she was hysterical, saying that they shot her best friend, that they killed her best friend, she was not breathing,” Garza told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday.
“My granddaughter was shot and killed for trying to call 911, she died a hero trying to get help for her and her fellow classmates.” – Garza’s grandmother, Berlina Irene Arreola
— trinh ⁷ ⟭⟬ bts: proof 6.10 (@trinhers) May 25, 2022
spread your wings & fly high, angel. ????
Amerie Jo Garza, 10 years old pic.twitter.com/0XEwx0B1Fu
“I asked the little girl the name, and … she said Amerie,” he said, dropping his head and weeping.
Which is how Garza found out that his daughter, Amerie Jo Garza, 10, was fatally shot at the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. A gunman barricaded himself inside a fourth-grade classroom, murdering 19 children and two teachers in cold blood.
Garza was shaken as he rushed to the school, not knowing his daughter’s whereabouts. Amerie had turned 10 about two weeks before the attack. Her family celebrated her birthday with dinner and gave her first cell phone. Her classmates told Garza that she was trying to call 911 on the phone during the attack.
@sharonlcarpenter This is heartbreaking ???? #ameriejogarza #texasshooting #news #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound – Sharon Carpenter
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“She’s been wanting a phone for so long and we finally got it for her. She was just trying to call authorities, and I guess he just shot her,” Garza said of his daughter, holding close a photo of Amerie taken when she made honor roll at school.
“How do you look at this girl and just shoot her?” Garza continued, hugging the photo of his daughter. “Oh my baby. How do you shoot my baby?”
Garza described his daughter as a sweet, creative child who listened to her parents and never got in trouble in school. Amerie was scared of strangers — and would often run to lock the door when her father stepped out to pump gas.
“This is literally her worst fear,” Garza said. She was a big sister to a 3-year-old brother who’s been asking for her every morning, not truly understanding she is gone.
Angel Garza confirms death:
— Mireya Villarreal (@ABCMireya) May 25, 2022
“Thank you everyone for the prayers & help trying to find my baby. She’s been found. My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you Amerie jo” ???????? pic.twitter.com/O9Vu0ThPyF
“We’ve informed him that his sister is now with God. And that she will no longer be with us,” Garza said. “He just cried … he’s 3 years old. This is emotional for him to even process.”
Hours after the shooting, Garza posted a Facebook message for his little girl.
“My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them,” he wrote. “I love you Amerie Jo. Watch over your baby brother for me.”
Garza said he wants people to remember Amerie as a good kid who tried to do the right thing.
“She was just trying to call the cops, that’s all,” he said. “I just want people to know she died trying to save her classmates. She just wanted to save everyone.”