Amerie Jo Garza: BTS fans unite to honor the life of 10-year-old Uvalde hero and fellow Army
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BTS fans are coming together to honor Amerie Jo Garza, the 10-year-old Army who lost her life trying to save her classmates.
On Tuesday, May 24, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, suffered a mass shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead. The shooter, now identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, opened fire at the elementary school at approximately 11:30 a.m. with an AR-15-style rifle. Ramos was fatally shot at the scene of the deadly incident at around 1 p.m.
The Uvalde Leader-News captured the moments that terrified children were evacuated through a window of Robb Elementary school.
📸 : Pete Luna/Uvalde Leader-News https://t.co/hFeGSh02Le pic.twitter.com/3rnivKbI4z
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— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 27, 2022
In light of the incident, some media outlets' coverage of the shooting's victims included a photo of 10-year-old fourth grader Amerie Jo Garza in a BTS shirt.
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Amerie was a brilliant student who had just received an honor roll award shortly before her death. Her grandmother, Berlina Irene Arreola, reported that her granddaughter was a model student and daughter who was “looking forward to making a life for herself.”
Amerie was also a hero for her classmates. As she tried to call 911 to get help for herself and those in the classroom with her, she was targeted and shot by Ramos, Arreola explained.
“My granddaughter was in there.”
10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza’s grandma is heartbroken outside Robb Elementary. pic.twitter.com/SV8pXbQYGxMore from NextShark: Japan Grows Mini Bronchi to Test COVID-19 Drug
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) May 26, 2022
In an interview with her father, medical aide Angel Garza, he recalled arriving at the scene of the tragedy and discovering that his daughter had been a victim.
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“One little girl was just covered in blood head to toe,” Angel told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “She said she was OK — she was hysterical, saying that they shot her best friend … I asked the little girl the name, and … she said Amerie.” Through tears, Angel shared that Amerie’s 10th birthday had only taken place two weeks before, where she had been given the phone she attempted to call 911 with.
Amerie Jo Garza's father, a med aide, says he found out she was one of the victims when he arrived on the scene and was helping another little girl covered in blood. She told him her best friend had been shot. When he asked her name, she said his daughter's. There aren't words. pic.twitter.com/CEH2JuseHw
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 26, 2022
Angel hopes that Amerie is remembered as a “sweet, creative child who listened to her parents and never got in trouble.” He told CNN, “She was just trying to call the cops, that’s all … I just want people to know she died trying to save her classmates. She just wanted to save everyone.”
In response to the tragedy, BTS fans have taken to social media to honor their fellow Army.
Amerie Jo Garza, 10 years old, was one of us. She was BTS ARMY. She was shot & killed trying to call 911 to save her classmates. This little girl is my new hero, and I’ll be lighting a candle for her, her classmates, and her teachers tonight.https://t.co/AIcxy575J3 pic.twitter.com/IT8wMEtRcA
— Meike⁷ | borahae arts (@BorahaeArts) May 25, 2022
I can't even imagine what the parents and families are going thru rn. It's horrifying. Evil has no empathy. We will surely remember our dear darling army. We embrace your spirit sweetheart. Army will remember you 🙏💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 pic.twitter.com/U8DG8N0jVQ
— ⟭⟬ JK's Vɪʙʀᴀᴛᴏ Is Hᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ⁷⟬⟭ 💜 (@Stasis119) May 25, 2022
@whysofabysady many beautiful souls were lost, including one our own army! My deepest condolences to every victim! I have pinned the gofund me for the families of the victims.♬ Mikrokosmos - Smyang Piano
They have also taken to GoFundMe to raise money for the Garza family and other victims.
This is the GoFundMe linked to by Amerie’s dad: https://t.co/DbyECEBA5K
As mentioned it’s not on the list verified by GoFundMe, however the screenshot below is from his Facebook account. pic.twitter.com/pMqZ3rIbZu
— Meike⁷ | borahae arts (@BorahaeArts) May 26, 2022
Hi all - an update on the flowers post that was shared earlier; the moderators of the Texas ARMY FB group have reached out to Amerie’s father who has asked to not donate to this person; only to him or Amerie’s mother directly.
Verified GoFundMe’s: https://t.co/fLE4DSJtim
— Meike⁷ | borahae arts (@BorahaeArts) May 26, 2022
In the comments section, Army donors have left encouraging messages. “Sending all my love to the family at this time. As an Army, I believe she was given a loving warm welcome from all our army members that are in the sky :’),” one commenter stated.
At the time of this writing, $92,218 has been raised, surpassing the fundraiser’s $50,000 goal with over 3,000 donations.
Feature Image via Facebook: Angel Garza (left), MSNBC (right)
