He had laid flowers at his wife’s memorial just hours earlier
The husband of Irma Garcia, one of the teachers killed in the Texas school shooting, has died of a heart attack, a family member has announced.
On Tuesday, fourth-grade teacher Garcia was killed in her classroom along with her co-teacher Eva Mireles and 19 students when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a rifle.
The gunman was eventually shot dead by police after spending between 40 minutes and an hour in the school.
On Thursday, Irma’s grieving husband Joe Garcia had placed some flowers at his wife’s memorial.
But according to Irma’s nephew John Martinez, he “pretty much just fell over” after returning home, and tragically died of a heart attack.
Joe Garcia visited his wife's memorial this morning to place flowers on a cross with her name on it. Joe is the husband to Irma Garcia. Not long after Joe visited Irma's memorial, he suffered a heart attack and died.
READ MORE: https://t.co/y8ccPq9pjZ pic.twitter.com/SfFKgChzbx
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 26, 2022
The couple had been married for 24 years, and were parents to four children.
Announcing the heartbreaking news in a tweet, Martinez said Joe had “passed away due to grief.”
He wrote: “EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma’s husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn’t easy.”
EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma’s husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, i truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn’t easy pic.twitter.com/GlUSOutRVV
— JohnMtz
(@fuhknjo) May 26, 2022
A GoFundMe page has since been set up by Irma’s cousin Debra Austin to raise money for Irma and Joe’s children. The page has already raised more than $1.7m despite being set up just one day ago.
Debra wrote that she believed “Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life.”
The couple’s eldest, Cristian, is serving in the Marine Corps and his brother, Jose, attended Texas State University, NPR reports. Their eldest daughter Lyliana is a high school sophomore, while her younger sister is a seventh grade student.
The four children attended a mass on Thursday evening in honour of their parents.
Father Eduardo Morales blessed these children tonight during Mass telling them “We are your family. Your mother and father will always find a way to take care of you.”
The children of Irma and Joe Garcia. She was one of 2 teachers killed Tuesday
He died today of a heart attack. pic.twitter.com/wFgnUUBajV
— Cynthia Izaguirre (@wfaaizzy) May 27, 2022
The Uvalde attack is the deadliest mass shooting at an elementary school since a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 first-graders, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
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