Two fourth grade teachers, Irma Garcia (left) and Eva Mireles (right) were slain in their classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, as they tried to shield their young students from a gunman’s attack. Sadly, 19 of their students were also killed. Photo Credit: Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.

Once again, our nation and our professional community is mourning the loss of dedicated educators and their students as a result of a senseless act of violence. Two fourth grade teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and 19 of their young students were killed by a gunman who launched an attack at the school on Tues., May 24. The teachers, Eva Mireles and Irma Linda Garcia, were slain as they tried to shield their defenseless students from the gunman’s bullets.

Eva Mireles, age 44, was born on March 17, 1978 in Dallas, Texas. She had been teaching at the school for 17 years. Eva was trained in Special Education, and was remembered by parent Audrey Garcia (no relation to Irma Garcia) for going “above and beyond” as a teacher. She indicated that it was only within the last few years that schools in the Uvalde area began to integrate children with developmental disabilities into regular classrooms, and Eva was one of the teachers who taught them. “She was a beautiful person and dedicated teacher,” declared Garcia.

Robb Elementary parent Erica Torres agrees. She recalled the exceptional care with which Eva treated her son Stanley, who has autism, while he was her student in both the third and fourth grades. In an effort to stop him from wandering around the school, the compassionate teacher put Stanley in charge of rounding up students to get to class. “She made you feel like she was only teaching your child,” Torres remembered. “Like there’s no other students but him. She made you feel so good,” the parent remembered.

Eva’s colleague, Irma Garcia, age 48, was born on Dec. 11, 1973, in San Antonio, Texas. She had been a teacher at the school for 23 years. In 2019, this Chalkboard Champion was one of 19 San Antonio-area teachers who were named finalists for a Trinity University prize that recognizes excellence in teaching.

After the attack authorities told her family that Irma was seen by a member of law enforcement attempting to protect her students from the gunfire. “I want her to be remembered as someone who sacrificed her life and put her life on the line for her kids,” declared Irma’s nephew, John Martinez. “They weren’t just her students. Those were her kids, and she put her life on the line, she lost her life to protect them. That’s the type of person she was,” he continued.

To compound the sadness, Irma’s husband, Joe Garcia, suffered a fatal heart attack two days following his wife’s murder. “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart, and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear,” asserted Irma’s cousin, Debra Austin. The couple were the parents of four children.

The gunman,18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, was killed by law enforcement to bring an end to his attack.