Dad of Uvalde Shooting Survivor Tells Parents to Hug Their Kids Every Day; Mom Recounts Nightmare

Parents of two Uvalde shooting survivors were filled with so many emotions talking about almost losing their children to the senseless tragedy in Texas.

Dad Guadalupe Lieja told NBC Dallas Forth Worth that his 8-year-old son knew many of the kids killed in the school shooting. He last saw some of them on Monday, May 23, while they were playing basketball on the school grounds.

The next day, these kids died when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School. Leija said he could not make sense of the attack, especially after hearing some of the anguish of the parents who were told that their kids were gone.

"I don't know what to tell you," the father said. "Just, you know, like we always say, hug your kids every day."

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A Mother's Fear Comes True

Mom, Evelyn, also recounted the anguish she felt while waiting for word on whether her son, a third-grader at Robb Elementary School, was dead or alive. She told People that the parents received an automated alert about the school shooting on their phones.

On the drive to the school with her husband, Evelyn said that she started to cry and could not think straight while they prayed for the safety of their son and the other students. When they got to the school, Evelyn saw many parents and family members crying.

The police tried to control the emotional crowd because every parent wanted to get inside the civic center to find their children. When Evelyn finally saw her son, they hugged each other tightly while he kept saying, "Mama, mama, mama" through his tears.

Evelyn said that she no longer wants her son to attend school in America. She always feared a school shooting and now feels it's no longer safe for her 9-year-old. She's considering returning home to Mexico because she knows she won't be able to sleep with the thought that her son could be in danger at his school.

Family Members of Past School Shooting Victims Speak Out

Meanwhile, victims of past school shootings, such as in Parkland and Sandy Hook, shared their grief that another tragedy involving innocent kids has happened in the U.S., per Today.

Lauren Hogg, whose brother survived the Parkland shooting in 2018, said that she's heartbroken over the Uvalde school shooting. She also said that no child should have to endure this kind of trauma.

X Gonzales, another Parkland survivor, directed questions to some of the senators who have aided and abetted this tragedy because they have failed to create laws to prevent mass shootings. Aalayah Eastmond, another survivor, pointed out that it's been 23 years since the deadly Columbine shooting, and yet lawmakers haven't passed a major gun safety law.

Sandy Hook mom Mary Ann Jacob said she was "physically sick" to see the news about Uvalde unfold. She said that while she was one of the lucky ones to survive the school shooting, she knows the difficult journey the victims and their families have to get through.

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