As family and loved ones mourn the tragic loss of 19 students and two adults at Robb Elementary School earlier this week, one dad speaks out about the “extraordinary” daughter he lost in the horrific event.
An 18-year-old shooter wearing body armor wrecked his car in a ditch near the school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, then stormed a classroom and locked himself inside, murdering 21 people.
Vincente Salazar III’s daughter Layla Salazar was one of the fatalities.
When asked to describe his loving daughter? The father expressed that she was a dynamite. She’s a lot of fun to hang out with. With her, there is never a boring moment. The most lovely young lady. She sent a TikTok to all the moms on Mother’s Day, wishing them all a Happy Mother’s Day. “Happy Mother’s Day, even if you’re not my mother,” she remarked.
She enjoys swimming and dancing to Tik Tok. Her favorite activity, though, was jogging. She’s quite skilled at it. They recently enjoyed a field day. They had three field days, and she won all three of her races: the 100-yard sprint, the 75-yard dash, and the 75-meter hurdles. But that was three distinct years. This was undoubtedly her final year, yet she never lost the race for first place. So they were extremely happy for her to get to junior high, where she could participate in track and other activities.
She was eager to go to the next school since you got a locker there. And she was prepared for it. “Oh, this is what I’m going to do with my locker,” she says, and so on. And, clearly, that did not occur. But she was simply exceptional. Just one-of-a-kind.
He would lovingly call her Lulu. She adored everyone in her family. She had a lot of heart.She cared deeply for everyone. She truly could have been anything. Some of her TikToks practically make her appear like a reporter. She may have been. For certainly, she could have been anything. And, of course, a lightning-quick runner.
When questioned about the day of the tragedy, he recalled that He first got the message stating the school was on lockdown. Around 30 minutes later he received another text that there is an active shooter on the campus. Because the father works evenings and sleeps during the day, the father was at home. When he got that text, he went straight to school, but there was just commotion everywhere. Later he received another text message instructing him to pick up his child at the Civic Center. So he just left and headed downtown to the Civic Center, where they waited. And they assured them that no kids were hurt. That’s what they said.
He further added that the faculty or the superintendent, whoever was present from the school assured them that no kids were hurt. So they kept thinking, who’s getting hurt since there’s ambulance after ambulance after ambulance? They would not do it for a single gunman if they knew he was dead. And they lied to them the entire day. They were there from 1 o’clock in the afternoon till 11 p.m. And they didn’t get a response from anyone regarding anything. It wasn’t until about 9 p.m. that they dragged everyone into the room and informed them that if they are still here and he/she hasn’t gotten his/her kid, there’s a strong chance the child didn’t make it.
He added, he recognized it as he saw it on their faces when the state troopers arrived, when they first went in there and what not. He saw it in their expressions, just mature men sobbing and whatnot. That tells you all you need to know.
They were seated there when they informed them that no more children would be arriving. His wife and he departed. And they exited the Civic Center and glanced at the cameras that were all lined up. So they turned around and went the opposite direction. And his wife and he made the main page, and she was weeping. And they already knew what had transpired in their hearts. They told them nothing but lies all this time.
With all of these shootings, he believes one can finally get a sense of what goes on behind the scenes. However, being a part of it now he is sure that, with these school shootings, who knows how many times these parents were told the same thing? He is not sure whether it happened. But he knew it occurred to everyone, not just him. All of the families who came with them. They were all fooled. They had all been told the same thing. There were no injuries to youngsters. There were no injuries to teachers. It was also a lie.
His daughter was their world and it has been shattered. It’s just difficult because, among other things, they haven’t received her back yet. Since it was a mass shooting and a big crime scene, they still have her there. They must do an autopsy and everything.
When asked where the child’s body is, he replied still in Bexar County – he believes the medical examiner is in San Antonio.
When asked what he would like people to know, he remarked that he hoped my daughter’s death was not in vain. And her classmates, the kids, the other youngsters who died since they knew their families, they were their friends. They just got back from field day. They all know one other in this little town. Some of these folks he has worked with. Because of the children, they have been close. And he simply wants everyone to know.
He concluded that when will enough be enough? How many times does this have to occur? Something must be done. It can’t be nothing any longer. That’s not only because it occurred to his child; it’s occurred to other families in recent years. That is what he wants everyone to understand. He really doesn’t want this to be over. And nothing is ever done to address it. He is saying this since they’re the ones left with the sadness. Everybody will ultimately go on with their lives and whatnot, and they will as well, but they’ve had someone taken away from them, and they won’t be able to get her back. And it’s simply difficult. They need to stop this so that it does not occur to other families. That is how he feels about it. Some sort of action is required. He is not sure what it is, but it’s something
