Felix Rubio and Kimberly Mata-Rubio attend a ceremony for their 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Lexie received a good civilian award and accolades for getting all the A grades in her classes. ,
Her parents did not expect their daughter to die later that day when a gunman opened fire inside the school.
“That photo, her last photo ever, was taken at around 10:54 a.m. To celebrate, we promised to bring her ice cream that evening. We told her we loved her, and we Will pick her up after school. I can still see she, walking towards the exit with us. The one who keeps scrolling through my memories in the reel turns her head and smiles to accept our promise . and then we went,” Kimberly Mata-Rubio told lawmakers during a House hearing on gun violence.
“I dropped my daughter off at that school, and that decision will haunt me for the rest of my life,” she cried.
She then went back to work at Uvalde Leader-News and heard of a shooting on a police scanner.
The parents came to know that their son was safe, but they could not find their daughter. Felix Rubio is a patrol deputy with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office.
“We focused on finding Lexie. The bus came after the bus. But she wasn’t on board. We heard there were kids at the local hospital, so we went over to provide her details. She wasn’t there.”
My dad went to San Antonio for an hour and a half to check in at University Hospital. At this point, some part of me must have realized that she was gone. Amidst the chaos, I yearned to return to Rob. We didn’t have our car at this time. Traffic was everywhere. So, I ran. I ran barefoot, with my thin sandals in hand. I ran a mile to school, my husband accompanied me.
We sat outside for a while before it became clear that we would not receive a response from law enforcement at the scene,” she said.
Back in Uvalde, he learns that his daughter has been killed.
“We don’t want you to think of Lexie as just a number. She was intelligent, kind, and athletic. She was quiet, shy—unless she had an issue. When she knew she was right, as in That she often used to do, she stood her ground. That firm, straight, voice was unwavering,” said Mata-Rubio.