An anonymous donor has put forward $175,000 to cover the funeral expenses for the shooting victims who lost their lives at Robb Elementary School last week.
Texas’ controversial Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the donation and thanked the donor for their generosity. He also pledged to see to it that the resources ended up in the appropriate hands.
The US – and indeed the world – is still reeling after the massacre that took place last Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. A total of 21 people lost their lives when a gunman opened fire at the school, including nineteen children and two teachers.
“We appreciate that anonymous donor for his generosity,” Gov. Abbott said. “And we will ensure that those resources get into the right hands.
“No family who is suffering from incalculable heartbreak at this time will have to worry about a single cost with regard to anything concerning this travesty.”
Abbott also took the time to retract earlier praise given to the police response to the deadly incident last week.
On Friday, authorities dubbed the decision by the on-site commander to delay breaching the classroom the “wrong decision”.
Abbott said: “The information that I was given turned out, in part, to be inaccurate. And I’m absolutely livid about that.”
A number of fundraisers have been set up for the various victims of last week’s shooting on GoFundMe. These include a fundraiser in memory of Joe and Irma Garcia, a couple who both lost their lives.
Irma was one of the aforementioned teachers who was shot dead at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday. Her husband Joe, meanwhile, suffered a fatal heart attack days later while deep in his grief.
At the time of writing, some $2,689,000 has been raised of a $10,000 goal.
According to reports, an 18-year-old suspect named Salvador Ramos was shot and killed at Robb Elementary School. The teenager had armed himself with a rifle and was wearing body armor at the time of the attack – he had also shot his own grandmother before making his way to the school.
Law enforcement officers have faced mounting criticism in the last few days from people who say they could have acted sooner to neutralize the threat.
As per the Washington Post, police arrived at the scene to the sound of shots ringing out, but it took an hour before they made their way inside the building and killed the gunman.
A lieutenant with the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN in an interview that police had been reluctant to engage the gunman because “they could’ve been shot”.
My heart bleeds for the victims of this latest school shooting. When will we as a country truly understand that guns are one of the biggest, if not the biggest problems we face?
Please, share this article on Facebook if you’d like to thank the anonymous donor who will be covering the funeral expenses of the fallen.
Meanwhile, let us know in the comments box what you think should be done about the clearly rampant problem we face regarding our existing gun laws.