Harrowing moment deputy responding to Texas shooting is told his daughter, 10, was killed

26 May 2022, 10:10

This is the harrowing moment a sheriff's deputy breaks down after learning his 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Texas school shooting.

Felix Rubio, a sheriff's deputy at Uvalde County who responded to the shooting, said "this is enough. I’ve had enough with guns" as he comforted his wife Kimberly after they were told their honour roll daughter, Lexi, was shot dead.

Lexi Rubio was one of nineteen children and two teachers shot dead by 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, in the devastating shooting on Tuesday afternoon.

Ramos was killed by police at the scene, with six people still fighting for their lives in hospital.

Just hours before Lexi's death, Mr and Mrs Rubio had proudly posed with their daughter after she received her certificate at Robb Elementary School for the making the all-A honour roll.

Read more: Heroic girl, 10, 'shot dead calling 911' as Texas gunman kills 21 in school massacre

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'This is enough': Father of 10-year-old victim shooting victim Lexi Rubio

"All I can hope is that she’s just not a number. This is enough. No one else needs to go through this. We never needed to go through this, but we are," Mr Rubio said.

He added: "I’ve had enough with guns. I don’t want my daughter’s name to be just another name."

When asked by CNN what issues need resolving following the shooting, Mr Rubio said: "Violence, guns. I’m a cop. I’m a deputy here in Uvalde County. This is enough."

Mrs Rubio, who broke down in tears after being told of her daughter's death, paid tribute to her "beautiful, smart" girl.

In a series of emotional posts, she wrote: "My sweet Lexi. Love of my life. Keeper of my soul. I carried you inside me. I’m you. You are me. I want to be with you. Now. Not later."

Read more: 'Bullied' Texas school gunman Salvador Ramos 'bought guns for his 18th birthday'

Lexi received the good citizen award at Robb Elementary on Tuesday and gave a beaming smile as she posed for the camera with her parents.

"We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school," Mrs Rubio wrote. "We had no idea this was goodbye."

The students - all of whom were in the same fourth-grade (Year 5) class - were days from the end of the school year when they were fatally shot.

Read more: 'My son was not violent' insists mother of Texas gunman who killed 21 at school

Two of their teachers, Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, were killed in the shooting, with relatives claiming they attempted to shield their students from the gunman.

One of the 10-year-olds, Amerie Jo Garza, heroically tried to call 911 after the gunman entered her classroom. She was shot dead as she bravely tried to save her fellow classmates, her grandmother said.

Read more: 'When will we do something?': Top basketball coach slams 'pathetic' gun control after shooting

The shooter, whose mother claimed he "was not violent", bought the two rifles he used in the killing the morning after his 18th birthday.

He had been living with his grandparents as he had recently had a falling out with his mother, Adriana Reyes.

Ms Reyes said she was "surprised" by her son's actions, adding she is "praying for all of those innocent children".

Her mother, Celia Gonzalez, had been shot by Ramos before he launched his spree. She is receiving care in hospital for a wound to the face, and while she cannot smile she is aware her daughter is there. The prognosis is unknown.

Ramos' grandfather, Rolando Reyes, 72, who he lived with, said his grandson's actions "still haven't sunk in".

Speaking to ABC News, he said he and his wife Celia were not aware their grandson had bought the guns - the morning after they took him for dinner to Applebee's to celebrate his birthday.

"I didn't know he had weapons. If I'd have known, I would have reported it," Mr Reyes said.

Texas school shooting death toll rises to 19 children

The tragic shooting has led to further calls for tighter gun controls in the US.

Steve Kerr, a top US basketball coach whose father was shot dead in a terrorist attack in Beirut in 1984, slammed a lack of gun control in the country as "pathetic".

The head coach of the Golden State Warriors refused to talk about basketball ahead of his team’s playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, instead delivering a passionate speech condemning gun violence.

He told the press conference he is "tired" of the "excuses" and he is "tired of the moments of silence", as he called for tighter background checks on people buying firearms.

Mr Kerr has repeatedly backed a bill that would require tighter background checks on people buying firearms. The bill passed the US House of Representatives in 2021 but did not get to the Senate.