(Uvalde, Texas) Visitors from all over gathered in Uvalde, Texas, on Saturday evening to pay their respects to the victims of the shooting where 19 children and 2 teachers died this week, on the eve of the visit of US President Joe Biden in the small town.
Posted at 12:10 a.m.
“It’s magnificent and it really gives strength,” says Gladys Castillon, sitting on the floor of the Placita, this square located in the center of Uvalde where 21 crosses in memory of the 21 victims of the massacre were installed a few days earlier. By his side, his 10-year-old daughter Caitlin Martinez enjoys the shade of the tall trees.
The two were at Robb Elementary School last Tuesday when an 18-year-old burst in with two guns, barricaded himself in a classroom and shot dead 19 students and 2 female teachers. Gladys helped the children running away from school to reach the funeral home across the street, even carrying a bloody little girl in her arms. “But I couldn’t see my daughter,” she recalls, in tears.
PHOTO LILA DUSSAULT, THE PRESS
Gina Gonzalez, Gladys Castillon and her daughter Caitlin Martinez, Connie Hernandez and Jesus Hernandez at a ceremony in memory of the victims of the Uvalde massacre on Saturday evening
Caitlin, long black hair and serious eyes, delivers a detailed – and chilling – account of the events. “We were at recess and we ran into a class and we prayed,” she explains. The shooter fired four times and he was just laughing. It was horrible. »
More and more stories, especially from children, continued to surface in US media on Saturday. Meanwhile, the inaction of Uvalde police – who waited for a tactical team to arrive before entering the classroom, despite numerous 911 calls from children and parents – raises concerns. ire of the population. “So much time has passed, denounces Gladys. Time during which the children could have gone out! »
pray and sing
All around Gladys and Caitlin, a small crowd gathered. Religious ceremonies take place in the park, musicians and singers play, and food stalls are open to all.
Les croix disposées autour de la fontaine centrale sont désormais ensevelies sous des montagnes de fleurs, de lampions et de peluches. Devant celle de Xavier Lopez, un ballon de soccer a été déposé. « Rest easy buddy », peut-on y lire.
À côté, un mot à l’enseignante Eva Mireles, tombée sous les balles, la remercie pour sa bravoure. « Fly high little angel », a-t-on inscrit sur la croix de Layla Salazar, de l’autre côté de la fontaine.
Autour des croix, des dizaines de visiteurs de tout âge, bras chargés de fleurs, marchent lentement. Plusieurs s’essuient les yeux. Une bonne partie d’entre eux sont venus des villes environnantes pour rendre hommage aux victimes et offrir leur soutien aux survivants.
« Les vies d’enfants innocents ont été perdues, et si près de chez nous, souffle Brenda Gonzalez, les joues mouillées de larmes. Sa famille, qui connaissait l’une des victimes, s’est déplacée de Crystal City, 45 kilomètres plus loin, pour la cérémonie. Mme Gonzalez serre sa fille de 9 ans contre elle. « C’est crève-cœur. »
PHOTO WONG MAYE-E, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Des gens prient pour les victimes de la tuerie lors d’un rassemblement samedi soir.
Rita Romo, mère de deux enfants de 7 et 9 ans, s’est déplacée de San Antonio, situé à 120 kilomètres. « Nous avons eu une alerte récemment d’un tireur dans l’école en face, raconte-t-elle. Oui, j’ai peur. C’est juste fou. »
Joe Biden en visite ce dimanche
Le président américain Joe Biden sera en visite à Uvalde ce dimanche en compagnie de la première dame des États-Unis, Jill Biden. Leur présence laisse Gladys Castillon indifférente. « Ça ne m’intéresse pas, la politique, affirme-t-elle, parce qu’ils [les politiciens] never help us. “For Gina Gonzalez, who accompanies Mme Castillon, Joe Biden’s visit will not change anything. “He can’t do anything anymore. [pour les victimes] “, she says, throat tight.
PHOTO DARIO LOPEZ-MILLS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man places a kiss on the cross of Layla Salazar, one of the young victims of the killing.
Sitting at his side, Connie Hernandez believes, on the contrary, that Joe Biden is welcome “because he needs to see all this”, she expresses, pointing to the crowd gathered.
Uvalde County voted 59.7% for Donald Trump in the last US presidential election, in 2020. President Joe Biden won 39.4% of the vote.
PHOTO JAE C. HONG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The small town in mourning will receive a visit from President Joe Biden this Sunday.
In the surroundings, several counties voted blue in the last elections, in particular that of San Antonio (main city of the region), and all the counties in the south adjoining the Mexican border. In Uvalde itself, Donald Trump won with a smaller lead than in several counties further north.
Shooter was threatening teenage girls online
Several teenage girls told the washington post that the 18-year-old shooter responsible for the massacre in Uvalde had threatened them on online dating applications, before the tragedy. He was sending hate messages and pictures of guns. When the conversation didn’t go the way he wanted, he sometimes threatened the teenage girls to kidnap, rape or kill them, before turning the whole thing into a “joke”. The majority of the threats were too vague for the girls to decide to report them to the authorities. One of them did it, without there being any sequel, she confided to the Washington Post.
Learn more
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- 17,420
- Number of people registered to vote in Uvalde County, Texas in 2020
Source: Texas secretary of state
- 10,323
- Number of people who voted in the 2020 Uvalde County presidential election, a turnout of 59.26%
Source: texas secretary of state