Vanessa Palacios, an employee at Cut Loose Hair Emporium, paints messages of support and the names of victims on the windows of the shop in Uvalde, on May 27, 2022.
Mourners attend a memorial for the recent school shooting at the city square in Uvalde, on May 27, 2022.
Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a presser at the Uvalde High School on May 27, 2022. Gov. Abbott addressed the response to the recent school shooting and emphasized the need to respond appropriately to mental health crises.
A woman embraces a priest after mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Uvalde, on May 29, 2022.
FBI and police keep a perimeter outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde while President Joe Biden attends mass on May 29, 2022.
“Do something!”
President Joe Biden listens to a plea for action from members of a crowd as he exits noon mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, during his visit to Uvalde on Sunday, May 29.
Rebecca Moreno, a current substitute teacher and retired Spanish teacher, speaks about her experience as a student who took part in a historic six-week school walkout for the Chicano Movement, in her home where she was born in Uvalde, on June 8, 2022.
A message written on a soccer ball reads "Rest easy buddy" at a memorial for victims of the school shooting in Uvalde on May 28, 2022.
Robb Elementary in Uvalde on Oct. 18, 2022.
LeeNora Obregon, best friend of Eva Mireles, watches as people work to finish a mural in her memory in Uvalde on July 17, 2022. Each of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting will receive a mural painted by artists from across Texas.
A woman checks her mail, leaning over caution tape blocking off the street from the nearby memorial for victims of the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 28, 2022.
A DPS trooper takes a bouquet of flowers to place on the memorial for victims of the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 28, 2022.
Zeke Rendon holds a letter he wrote to his family during Sunday school at Primera Iglesia Bautista Church in Uvalde on May 29, 2022. Ellie Garcia, one of the victims of the recent school shooting, had been attending the same Sunday school with Redon.
Uvalde school police Chief Pete Arredondo stands on a dirt road on the outskirts of town on June 8, 2022. One of the first to respond to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, he says: “The only thing that was important to me at this time was to save as many teachers and children as possible.” He was fired by the school board exactly three months after the attack.
Sandra Torres and her partner Mack Segovia look at the bed they made for Eliahna Torres at their new home in Uvalde, on Feb. 17, 2023. In their old home, Eliahna had to sleep with Sandra, as they never had enough rooms. In their new house, they dedicated one room to pictures of Eliahna and her family, and plan to continue to add more to memorialize her.
Ana Rodriguez paints a small blue fish as part of the mural in memory of her daughter, Maite, with the help of her sons, Adrean and Caleb, in Uvalde on July 24, 2022. Maite was one of the 19 children killed during the Robb Elementary school shooting. She wanted to be a marine biologist when she grew up, and had already picked out which college she wanted to attend.
Ana Rodriguez paints a small blue fish as part of the mural in memory of her daughter, Maite, with the help of her sons in Uvalde on July 24, 2022. Rodriguez wears earrings with green Converse on them, the same shoe that her daughter was wearing on May 24th.
Family members and friends of Uziyah Garcia view a freshly completed mural in his memory in Uvalde on July 17, 2022. A local artist, Abel Ortiz-Acosta, organized the project that will see each of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting receive a mural painted by artists from across Texas.
San Antonio artist Cristina Sosa Noriega paints a mural in memory of Anerie Jo Garza in Uvalde on July 17, 2022. Each of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting will receive a mural painted by artists from across Texas.
Arnulfo Reyes, a fourth-grade teacher at Robb Elementary School in Room 111, sits in his home in Uvalde on Nov. 7, 2022. Reyes was shot twice during the shooting on May 24, and lost 11 of his students during the attack.
State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, speaks about the report conducted by the Texas House Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting during a press conference in the Civic Center in Uvalde on July 17, 2022.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin talks to members of the press about his promise to release body cam footage on the Robb Elementary Shooting in Uvalde, July 17, 2022.
Two state troopers stand near the back of the room during a press conference held by the Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting in the Civic Center in Uvalde on July 17, 2022.
Family members and friends participate in a march in support of those killed and injured in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, in Uvalde on July 10, 2022.
Family members and friends participate in a march in support of those killed and injured in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, in Uvalde on July 10, 2022.
Family members of the victims of the Robb Elementary Shooting sit on the steps of the state Capitol during a March For Our Lives protest on Aug. 27, 2022. Families of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting spoke up, calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to enact a special session, and increase the age to own AR-style weapons to 21.
Family members of Maite Rodriguez wear green Converse in her memory during a March For Our Lives protest at the state Capitol on Aug. 27, 2022.
Ana Rodriguez, mother of Maite Rodriguez, speaks during a March For Our Lives protest at the state Capitol on Aug. 27, 2022. Families of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting spoke up, calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to enact a special session, and increase the age to own AR-style weapons to 21.
Before the sun has risen, lights flash from the bus as Aiko Coronado's children are picked up for school outside their house in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022.
Children and their families browse through roughly 600 donated backpacks before the upcoming first day of school after the Robb Elementary school shooting, at the O’Reilly Auto Parts parking lot in Uvalde on Aug. 13, 2022.
A sign with emergency protocol instructions has the word "Lockdown" crossed out, with the words "Safety, safety, safety" written beneath it, at Sacred Heart Parish School in Uvalde, on Aug. 14, 2022. The school is preparing for classes to begin the following day, a full month ahead of public schools in the Uvalde district. The private school, which saw its enrollment more than double from the previous year, has implemented additional security features, such as carbon-fiber coating for the windows and taller fences, for the new school year.
Brett Cross, the parental guardian of one of Uziyah Garcia, sits outside the back entrance of the Uvalde CISD administrative office building in the early morning of Oct. 4, 2022. Cross has been protesting outside of the building for over a week, calling for the suspension of all school officers who were present at Robb Elementary during the school shooting on May 24.
Principal Joseph Olan points out areas of improvement happening at Sacred Heart Parish School as they prepare for the first day of school in Uvalde on Aug. 9, 2022. Preparations include bulletproof film covering all windows, new fencing, and a more secure system for opening the main doors.
Colorful posters cover up polycarbonate bulletproof resistant sheeting on the outside of windows at Sacred Heart Parish School in Uvalde, on Aug. 14, 2022. The school is preparing for classes to begin the following day, a full month ahead of public schools in the Uvalde district.
Polycarbonate bulletproof resistant sheeting covers the outside of windows, inside a classroom at Sacred Heart Parish School in Uvalde, on Aug. 14, 2022. The school is preparing for classes to begin the following day, a full month ahead of public schools in the Uvalde district.
Polycarbonate bulletproof resistant sheeting covers the front doors of the cafeteria at Sacred Heart Parish School in Uvalde, on Aug. 14, 2022. The school is preparing for classes to begin the following day, a full month ahead of public schools in the Uvalde district.
Adam Martinez and his son, Zayon, 8, at their home in Uvalde, on Aug. 12, 2022. Zayon was present at Robb at the recent school shooting, and will not be returning to in-person classes for the upcoming school year, instead choosing to use the online schooling option.
Emilio Gonzales, 5, jumps across the steps in his front yard, during the last week of summer in Uvalde on Aug. 10, 2022.
Crispin Reyna IV, 5, looks back at his parents on the shore as he retrieves an innertube while playing in the Nueces River outside of Uvalde, on May 28, 2022. His family had come to the river to try to relax and step away from the week's tragedy. Despite their efforts, they found it hard to disengage. “You hear about shootings all over the place but now that it has happened here - it's like holy shit. Holy shit,” Maricela Sanchez said. “How do we sleep when all we have in our heads is ‘Why? Why here? Why now?’”
Siblings Ameliaña and Austin Treviño entertain themselves with their phones in the lobby of a psychiatrist as they wait for their sister, Illiaña, and mother to finish up with an appointment in San Antonio on March 24, 2023. The Treviño family regularly makes the hour-long drive from Uvalde to San Antonio for these appointments, as Uvalde does not have the mental health resources necessary to treat the number of trauma cases after the shooting.
Martha Buford, a contractor for The Ecumenical Center, plays a brief song on a drum to demonstrate how children might use a room devoted to play therapy, in the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center on Aug. 11, 2022. According to Buford, if counselors are having a hard time understanding a child's emotions, they might turn to music to help - for example, a child might play the drums very aggressively, or wait until the counselor set a tune before joining in.
Hundreds of flowers, candles, and signs sit in the overgrown memorial yard outside of Robb Elementary on Oct. 4, 2022.
Adrianna Medina, 10, does training with her service dog, Ocean, at Uvalde Memorial Park on Aug. 28, 2022. Medina, who lost her cousin Maite Rodriguez in the Robb Elementary school shooting, has suffered from anxiety and depression after the attack. With Ocean, she feels better and more safe in public places and at home.
Adrianna Medina, 10, continues her training with her therapy dog, Ocean, at the local HEB in Uvalde on Nov. 6, 2022. Medina and Ocean have been practicing in busier environments, to test Ocean's attention. Soon they will take their final test at a mall in San Antonio.
Geneva Story, a trainer with the San Antonio branch of Dog Training Elite, bangs plastic buckets together to make loud noises that might distract Adrianna Medina's therapy dog, Ocean, during training at the local HEB in Uvalde on Nov. 6, 2022.
Aiko Coronado helps her daughter Adrianna Medina, 10, put on a necklace as she gets ready for the first day of classes in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022. Medina is wearing a shirt with a picture of Adrianna with her cousin and friend Maite Rodriguez from the awards ceremony at Robb on May 24.
A pair of green converse with a heart on the toe, similar to the ones Maite Rodriguez wore, at the Coronado's home in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022. Adrianna Medina, Maite's cousin and friend, will wear a similar pear of lime green converse shoes to the first day of classes in memory of Maite. "I wanted to have a piece of her with me," Medina said of the shoes.
Aiko Coronado takes a photo of her children Adrianna, 10, Alejandro, 6, and Allyson, 5, as they wait for the bus to take them to their first day of school in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022.
Children walk past Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers as they arrive to Flores Middle School for the first day of classes in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022.
A message from Javier Cazares written on the cross for his daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, at the Main Plaza in Uvalde, on July 17, 2022. Following the removal of the crosses at the plaza, parents confronted the city council about it, and have slowly begun to bring back personal memorials.
Family members of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting carry a memorial for their loved ones across the street from the state Capitol to the governor’s mansion during a Marcha de los Ninos rally in Austin, on Nov. 1, 2022.
A handwritten message written above a photo of Tess Mata on her cross at the memorial plaza in Uvalde on May 24, 2023. The message reads “We’ll fix this. Promise.”
Veronica Mata embraces her daughter Faith during Día de los Muertos at the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Faith Mata, right, places a portrait of her younger sister, Tess, onto an offrenda for her before Dia de los Muertos celebrations in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
The Rubio family visits with the Mata's, who show them Tess' offrenda at her gravesite in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Jerry Mata fills coolers for drinks and ice in preparation for evening Dia de los Muertos celebrations in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Jerry Mata leaves a vanilla Coca-Cola drink at the head of his daughter's grave in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022. Mata said that his daughter, Tess, loved the drink during her life.
A woman lays yellow flowers at the head of Tess Mata's grave for Dia de los Muertos in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Relatives of Arnuflo Reyes, a teacher who was injured at Robb, release paper lanterns to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Maite Rodriguez's green Converse shoes, which she wore to Robb Elementary on May 24, sit inside a glass case as part of the offrenda her family built for her for Dia de los Muertos in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Brett Cross jokes with Veronica and Jerry Mata as they pick up water at the halfway point in the Lexi Legacy 5K Run, on Nov. 5, 2022.
Residents watch Uvalde Leader-News reporters update results from local races on a whiteboard in Uvalde on Election Day Nov. 8, 2022.
Jazmin Cazares, center, and other family and friends wait for Uvalde Leader-News reporters to update results from local races on a whiteboard in Uvalde on Election Day Nov. 8, 2022.
A Uvalde Leader-News reporter highlights the final results for write-in candidates in the newspaper's office in Uvalde on Election Day Nov. 8, 2022.
Families of the victims “cheers” each other after they each tried to encourage Faith Mata, who is calling from her dorm at Texas State in San Marcos, at the Lunkers Bar and Grill watch party in Uvalde on Election Day Nov. 8, 2022. Mata called her parents, crying, after seeing the news that Greg Abbott won a third term election.
A mural in memory of Tess Marie Mata near the town plaza in Uvalde, on Sept. 6, 2022.
The Mata family cat, Oliver, sits atop Tess' bed at her home in Uvalde on Dec. 22, 2022. According to the family, Oliver will often sleep in Tess' room, and run to the door when there is a knock or doorbell, as if still expecting her to come home.
The Mata's decorate Tess' grave for Christmas at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Dec. 22, 2022. As they worked, they talked to Tess and reminisced about past Christmas’, joking about how Tess would always be picky about to decorate the tree.
The Mata's decorate Tess' grave for Christmas at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Dec. 22, 2022. They placed two light up miniature Christmas trees on either side of the tree that is growing at Tess' headstone.
A portrait of Tess hangs in the home of the Mata family, while they visit with their cousin-in-law, Teresa Perez, and her daughters at their home in Uvalde on Dec. 22, 2022.
Christmas lights and holiday decorations light up the Memorial Plaza in Uvalde on Dec. 21, 2022.
Christmas lights and holiday decorations light up the Memorial Plaza in Uvalde on Dec. 21, 2022.
A wreath with a sash in memory of Tess Mata, on the door to the Mata's home in Uvalde on Dec. 22, 2022.
Jerry and Veronica Mata stand with other families of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting at a presser held by state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, where he introduced new bills aimed at increasing state department transparency and gun reform, at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 24, 2023.
Siblings of Amerie Jo Garza play quietly while the families of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting gather to attend a presser held by state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, where he introduced four new bills that will address qualified immunity for police officers, allow victims to sue the State of Texas, repeal the protection of the Lawful Commerce in Arms act, and create a permanent compensation fund for victims of school gun violence, at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 24, 2023.
Hundreds of supporters of firearm regulation and members of advocacy groups, such as Moms Demand Action, march to the state Capitol in Austin on Gun Safety Advocacy Day on Feb. 28, 2023.
Caitlyn Gonzales, 10, breaks down into tears while telling her story of the events of May 24th, explaining her fear after a bullet pierced the wall nearest her and recounting the screams she heard from the classroom across the hall, while at a rally calling for greater gun control legislation at the state Capitol in Austin on Gun Safety Advocacy Day on Feb. 28, 2023. Gonzales was not tall enough to reach the microphone on the podium, so she stood atop a milk crate.
A milk crate that Robb Elementary school shooting survivor Caitlyn Gonzales, 10, used to stand on in order to reach the microphone on the podium while speaking at a rally calling for greater gun control legislation at the state Capitol in Austin on Gun Safety Advocacy Day on Feb. 28, 2023.
Caitlyn Gonzales, 10, asks a question to state Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, during a visit with family and friends of the victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting as they ask him to consider supporting gun reform legislation at his office at the state Capitol in Austin on Feb. 28, 2023.
Brett Cross, legal guardian and uncle of Uziyah Garcia, signs up to testify in the Community Safety Committee, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023. The committee will hear numerous bills relating to gun reform, most notably HB2744 which seeks to raise the age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.
Brett Cross holds his wife, Nicki, while state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, speaks about what he saw as a part of the Texas House committee tasked with creating a report on the Robb Elementary school shooting, at the Community Safety Committee in the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023. The committee will hear numerous bills relating to gun reform, most notably HB2744 which seeks to raise the age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.
Rhonda Hart, whose daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was fatally shot in the Santa Fe High School shooting in 2018, speaks in support of the Uvalde families and about the testimony they will give later in the day at the Community Safety Committee, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023.
Friends and families of the victims of the Uvalde shooting sit in a member’s lounge as they wait for hours for the Community Safety Committee to reconvene, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023. Ultimately, they waited for 13 hours before they were able to testify in favor of HB2744, which seeks to raise the age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, as it was the last item heard by the committee.
Brett Cross, the legal guardian of Uziyah Garcia, holds a sign in support of HB 2744 which seeks to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, at a press conference on the west steps of the state Capitol in Austin on April 28, 2023. The Community Safety Committee, which heard the bill earlier in the month, adjourned on Thursday without voting on it, with state Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, stating that he did not believe the bill had the votes to pass the House.
Javier Cazares marks on his notes for his testimony as a poster of his daughter, Jackie, and other victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting stand against the wall beside him, while he and other family members wait for the Community Safety Committee to reconvene, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023.
Jasmine Cazares places a hand on her father, Javier, to console him, as he speaks through tears about his daughter Jacklyn who was one of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting, while he testifies in favor of HB2744 to the Community Safety Committee in the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023. The bill sought to raise the age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.
Jerry Mata moves the photo of his daughter, Tess, to face lawmakers while his wife, Veronica, testifies in favor of HB2744 which seeks to raise the age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, to the Community Safety Committee in the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023.
People hold signs and chant at a rally in the rotunda of the state Capitol to call for a vote on HB 2744, which seeks to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, in Austin on May 8, 2023.
Family members of the victims of the Uvalde shooting and hundreds of community members rally in the rotunda of the state Capitol to call for a vote on HB 2744, which seeks to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, in Austin on May 8, 2023.
Family members of the victims of the Uvalde shooting cry and hug each other after the House Safety Committee voted in favor of HB 2744, to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, at the state Capitol in Austin on May 8, 2023.
Brett and Nikki Cross, who lost their son Uziyah Garcia in the Uvalde shooting, embrace after a Texas House committee voted in favor of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, in the state Capitol extension in Austin on May 8, 2023. The vote was an unexpected win for gun reform in the Texas legislature, however, the bill would be killed by the Calander Committee only a week later, after the committee did not put it on the schedule for lawmakers to discuss on the House floor.
Frank Ramirez and his daughter, Lourdes, carry orange flags as they participate in a 77-minute vigil, the amount of time it took for police to intervene in the Robb Elementary school shooting, on the side of the street outside the memorial plaza in Uvalde on May 24, 2023. The color Orange has become the defining color of the gun violence prevention movement.
From left: Berlinda Irene Arreola. Gloria Cazares, and Kimberly Rubio clap and cheer on the last group of runners as they finish the Lexi Legacy 5K Run, and arrive at Lexi's mural near the town square in Uvalde, on Nov. 5, 2022. Friends and family of Lexi Rubio, one of the 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, turned out to participate in a three-mile run in her memory.
Destiny Esquivel, a cousin of Maite Rodriguez, looks at the messages her memorial cross in the city plaza on the one-year mark of the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde on May 24, 2023.
Destiny Esquivel, a cousin of Maite Rodriguez, embraces another family member beside her memorial cross in the city plaza on the one-year mark of the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde on May 24, 2023.
Reflected in a window with a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting, relatives of Maite Rodriguez cross the street in Uvalde on May 24, 2023.
Hundreds of people gather at the Memorial Park amphitheater to attend a candlelight vigil in honor of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting on the One Year Mark of the attack at the Memorial Park amphitheater in Uvalde on May 24, 2023.
A sign, labeled "Uvalde", stands at the front of the entrance to the American Legion Park softball fields, as a rainbow appears in the sky above in Uvalde on May 18, 2023.