The four orphaned children of slain Uvalde, Texas, teacher Irma Garcia and her late husband Joe, who died of a heart attack following his wife’s killing at Robb Elementary School last week will be getting more than $2.4 million raised through a GoFundMe campaign started by the family.
The Hill reported Saturday that Garcia’s family started the drive on the crowdsourced fundraising website for the late couple’s four children, Christian, 23, Jose, 19, Lyliana, 15, and Alysandra, 12, after their mother Irma, a 23-year teacher at the school, was shot to death Tuesday by 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos.
Nineteen children and another teacher were also killed.
"Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers," family member Debra Austin, who started the fundraising drive, wrote on the GoFundMe website. "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."
GoFundMe created a page for the shooting victims and their families.
"The GoFundMe community is coming together to support all those affected. Our Trust and Safety team will continue to update this hub with more fundraisers as they are verified," the website states. "Donate to verified Texas elementary school shooting fundraisers below to offer your help."
Texas law enforcement has come under criticism following reports that officers were in the school hallway outside the classroom where Ramos was trapped and barricaded, while some of the students were still alive and calling 911.
According to the CNN report of the incident and the timeline established Friday by Texas Department of Public safety Director Steven McCraw, school district police decided not to immediately attempt to breach the room after initially taking on fire from the shooter when they arrived but waited for the CBP tactical unit to arrive.
That unit eventually breached the classroom with a key provided by a janitor and killed the shooter, a decision that McCraw called "wrong, period" Friday and said there was "no excuse" for the delay and not acting sooner to confront the shooter.
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