The husband of an elementary school teacher slain during the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas, died of a heart attack Thursday. The couple had been married for 24 years.
“Family members tell FOX 26 Joe Garcia, the husband of Irma Garcia, died Thursday – just two days after his wife was tragically killed when a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and opened fire,” Fox 4 reported.
Reporter Matthew Seedorff said the couple, who were described as high school sweethearts, had four children and that “Irma was shot and killed Tuesday trying to protect her 4th grade class.”
She was one of two instructors and 19 students killed during the attack.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said Tuesday of the shooting that Texans were grieving for the victims and residents of Uvalde.
“We thank the courageous first responders who worked to finally secure Robb Elementary School. I have instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to work with local law enforcement to fully investigate this crime,” he added.
On Wednesday, Abbott indicated the alleged attacker, Salvador Ramos, made three social media posts 30 minutes prior to opening fire at Robb Elementary School.
Abbott also noted, “The first thing that happened was, the gunman shot his grandmother in the face. She then contacted police.”
A GoFundMe page created Wednesday described Irma Garcia as a “wonderful person” who loved her classroom children:
Please donate anything you can to help her family. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Garcia family for various expenses. Thank you and God bless.
I am equally [devastated] to report Irma’s husband Joe has tragically passed away this morning (5/26/2022) as a result of a medical emergency. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers.
“I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life of more than 30 years was too much to bear,” the post concluded.
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