Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras Families Impacted by the Uvalde School Massacre
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2022
Shortly after celebrating the end of school year awards ceremony on a clear sunny morning on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, students at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas were attacked by a deranged 18 year old high school drop-out, gunman, Salvador Ramos, with at least one AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle and a gun resulting in the horrific and senseless killing of 19 students and two adult teachers, bursting the small Southwest Texas community bubble of peace and tranquility in America.
The May 24 Uvalde school mass shooting tragedy has been heard around the world and impacted people near and far away, including families in Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.
At least five of the 21 deceased students and teachers either lived or graduated from high school in Eagle Pass or have family members residing in our twin border cities, directly impacting Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras.
Among the 21 fatalities from this gruesome and violent attack include two teachers and 19 students, including teachers Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia and students Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, Eliahna Cruz Torres, Rojelio Fernandez Torres, Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia, Uziyah Garcia, Tess Marie Mata, Amerie Jo Garza, Jailah Nicole Silguero, Alithia Haven Ramirez, Maranda Gail Mathis, Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, Jose Manuel Flores, Jr., Makenna Lee Elrod, Xavier Lopez, Jackie Cazares, Layla Salazar, and Annabell G. Rodriguez.
A review of the Obituaries of the 21 victims, the Eagle Pass Business Journal found at least five with ties to Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, including teacher Eva Mireles, age 44, graduated from Eagle Pass High School in 1996 and her mother and step-father, Paula Mireles and Santiago Moreno, reside in Eagle Pass; student Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, age 10, father and step-mother, Adrean Rodriguez and Dayami Berenice Rodriguez, reside in Eagle Pass as well as paternal grandparents, Pedro and Adreana Rodriguez, and maternal grandparents, Jeronimo and Gloria Coronado, reside in Eagle Pass; student Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, age 10, paternal grandfather, Juan Bravo, resides in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico; student Eliahna Cruz Torres, age 10, paternal grandparents, Moses and Araceli Torres, reside in Eagle Pass; and student Rojelio Fernandez Torres, age 10, father, Federico Torres, resides in Mexico, maternal grandparents, Jose Alfredo Orta and Veronica Ibarra, reside in Mexico, and paternal great-grandfather, Rojelio De Leon, resides in Mexico.
Like the rest of the world and in the United States, Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico mourn the loss of these 21 innocent angels and decry the senseless offense as well as the negligent handling and investigation of the incident by law enforcement agencies and public entities.
