Husband of one of the teachers fatally shot at Uvalde school dies from heart attack

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Associated Press
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Joe and Irma Garcia in a photo tweeted by Irma's nephew John Martinez (Courtesy: @fuhknjo/Twitter)
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By Jessika Harkay | Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS)

FORT WORTH, Texas — The husband of one of the fourth-grade teachers killed in the Uvalde school shooting Tuesday has died, according to multiple news reports.

Irma Garcia, who was a 23-year veteran teacher at Robb Elementary School, was killed after an 18-year-old gunman entered the campus, barricaded himself in a fourth-grade classroom and fired dozens of shots — killing 19 students, Garcia and another teacher.

Garcia’s husband, Joe, reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after his wife’s death, according to Ernie Zuniga, of KABB FOX San Antonio.

Zuniga reported that the pair had been together since high school and married for 24 years.

The Garcias shared four children together and loved barbecuing, Irma Garcia wrote in her biography on the Uvalde school district’s website.

The couple leaves behind their son Cristian, who was completing Marine boot camp earlier in the year; Jose, who attends Texas State University; Lyliana, a high school student; and Alysandra, a middle school student.

Twitter user “@Fuhknjo,” who said he is the pair’s nephew and tweeted about Irma’s death earlier in the week, confirmed the news about Joe.

“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,” they tweeted, adding in a second tweet that the Garcia children are 23, 19, 15 and 13 years old.

“No child should have to go through this,” the Twitter user said. “My heart breaks for them.”

Another user, Yesennia Nevarez, also said Irma Garcia was her aunt and in a screenshotted notes message said she hopes “no other family has to be hurt like this again.”

“My little town is very tight know and I know many of her sweet students didn’t make it. I’m so sorry this happened to such innocent and beautiful souls,” the twitter user wrote Wednesday night. “I know (my aunt) would’ve done anything to have seen them grow and prosper.”

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