Two teachers who died in the Texas school shooting have been hailed as heroes for shielding their students from gunfire. Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia were killed alongside 19 children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Tuesday.
Irma Garcia was found 'embracing children in her arms pretty much until her last breath,' her nephew John Martinez told the New York Times. He described her as a hero who sacrificed herself protecting the children in her classroom. Two days later, her husband Joe Garcia died of a heart attack, which Martinez attributed to grief.
Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia had been teaching together for five years, with 40 years of combined experience. A photo from last month shows them watching over students as they worked on iPads. Natalie Arias, an education specialist, said they were 'two of the greatest teachers Uvalde has ever known,' describing their classroom as 'full of fun, growth, giggles, teamwork, and, most of all, love.'
Eva Mireles' aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, expressed fury that such shootings continue, stating that rifles should not be easily available. Mireles' husband, Ruben Ruiz, a school police officer, rushed to the school and had to be held back by other officers as he tried to reach his wife.
Mireles, a special education teacher, was remembered by parent Audrey Garcia for going 'above and beyond.' Her daughter Adalynn Ruiz paid tribute on Twitter, calling her a hero who selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives.
