“I cannot explain the joy I felt when I saw my son walk out of those doors and I finally got it. But as a parent wanted squeeze it right there but I wanted to get it out because I am not want him to see it all,” Alonzo said during an interview outside his Uvalde home.
His son was safe, but soon learned that his niece Ellie Garcia is still missing. for.
He called his sisterin-Law Jennifer, Ellie’s mother, and told her that he would check on the nearby SSGT Willie de Leon Community Center, where officials were taking students for reunions. with their families.
When he got there it was already around 16:00 and almost empty.
“School officials tell me no more children here. They were all chosen up.
“‘You have list? You have list of students who were here?” Alonzo recalled desperately.
“That school official I could see it in her eyes And her eyes turned pale and cried, and she said, “Sir, they will make a statement soon.'”
“But I miss my niece. She’s not here,” he recalled, pleading.
“They’ll make a statement soon”, he remembered how she simply answered. Then he realized that something terrible wrong.
Alonso took his son home and later saw on social media that Eva Mireles, Ellie’s teacher, was dead.
“In my mind, I tried to remain optimistic, but reality of he was drowning in at that time, he said. – Only when my wife told me that they took DNA swabs from all parents. … Why else would they need DNA swabs?
“By far the worst day of my life. And I will never forget that day. I can reproduce these hours so bright in my mind and it just engraved in my mind,” Alonzo said.
Forgiveness – even for shooter
Ellie Garcia and her uncle Adrian were very close. He, his wife and their son — Aiden, Ellie’s cousin — chose Ellie up for church on Sundays. Alonzo describes her as a happy child. who loved her family and friends, her dog Rocco, TikTok dancing and basketball.
she was excited for she will soon be 10 years old up on June 4th. Now she’ll never get to those magical double numbers. Her family bury her in two days on June 6th
Uncle Ellie became understandably emotional, explaining that the cold reality.
“These days will be here and I just we pray that God will give us family comfort and strength to get through this weekend,” he said.
Alonzo said he’s bound with his niece over their faith, which clearly guides him through this unimaginable tragedy.
He even stated that he forgives the shooter. who killed his niece, 18 other children and 2 adults in composure.
“I forgive him. powerful so I forgive him,” Alonzo said.
When you press on how he could get to place where he forgives the shooter just days after the massacre and before Ellie is buried, he quotes Scripture.
“Bible says in Ephesians 4 that we must forgive one another, just how God forgave. And I don’t hate him,” Alonzo said.
Be sure he is very angry.
“I am filled with anger, but I don’t feel hatred for him,” he said calmly.
“She could have been saved. She could be hurt. know if she had been alive for what it was, 70 minutes, I think. we are not know if she were alive. I can only hope she didn’t feel pain and I hope it was quick and she didn’t suffer. Who knows? She might not have survived. But I feel in these minutes, an hour, we would not be 19 children”, he said, adding that also forgives anyone in law enforcement who made any errors.
Prevention more mass shootings
Alonzo is a hunter and gun owner. He says that won’t change.
But does not consider it an assault weapon like in one shooter bought legally in Texas should admissible.
“Do I believe that our guns should take away from civilians? No I against it, but I for ban of AR-15 assault rifles. No civil should have this look of rifle only military and the police. this weapon of war, and civilians not need weapon of war, – said Alonzo. – Together, I think we can do a lot, not only gun laws, but also in social media algorithms, right? Let’s say the algorithm picked up on these words, and a notification would be sent to the authorities: “Hey, this user says he’s going to shoot up a school.” They would get into it real quickly and perhaps, perhaps, then stopped him.”
He hopes politicians can put their differences aside and find solutions, but like most Americans, he is skeptical.
As long as he’s focused on his family – helping your son, Ellie’s cousin, handle it. He helps Ellie parents — his sister-in-right and brother-in-law — with assignments and everything else that they need. And he says out about my beautiful niece.
“We were grateful that Ellie for nine years of her life with us. We will never forget her,” Alonzo said. She will always be a part of it’s family even in her death.”
Monica Serrano of CNN, Alexa Miranda and Hope Howard contributed to this report.
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