Falcons player working to connect with Texas school shooting survivor wearing jersey number

WSBTV.com News Staff
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An Atlanta Falcons player is working to connect with one of the Texas school shooting survivors after he saw him wearing his jersey.

Safety Dean Marlowe, who recently signed with the team, put the call out on his social media Sunday.

“Someone help me get in touch with this family. I would love to send some signed gear,” Marlowe tweeted.

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The survivor whom Marlowe is trying to reach is 9-year-old Daniel Ruiz.

Ruiz attends Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in the small Texas town of Uvalde.

CNN reported that Ruiz’ cousin, Ellie Garcia, was one of the children killed.

[RELATED: Texas elementary school shooting: What we know about the victims]

Ruiz and his mother spoke with CNN’s Dana Bash about the moment the gunman approached his classroom. Ruiz said his teacher locked the door but was shot. He hid under a table near the wall.

“I could still see his face,” he said. “I could see him staring at people in front of me.”

Ruiz said he later escaped by climbing out of a broken window. Two other people who were hurt in his classroom also survived.

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During his interview with CNN, Ruiz wore an Atlanta Falcons jersey and hat. Channel 2 Action News will keep you updated on any updates about Marlowe’s search as we learn them.

After the Texas school mass shooting and Buffalo grocery store mass shooting, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and his foundation donated $100,000 to Sandy Hook Promise and $100,000 to The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI).

“Once again we find ourselves in the unbearable sadness of mass casualty events involving military-grade weapons across our country,” Blank said in a statement. “And my heart aches for all the victims, their loved ones and the many who witnessed these horrible events who will be burdened by those memories for years.”

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