Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, visited Yuvalde, Texas on Saturday and met with the family of Irma Garcia, a teacher killed in the Rob Elementary School shooting.
Garcia, who had worked as a teacher for 23 years, was one of 21 people - two teachers and 19 children - killed by an 18-year-old gunman who entered the school armed with a rifle and opened fire in May 2022. Two days after her death, her husband Joe Garcia died of a heart attack.
Irma Garcia's nephew, John Martinez, told CNN that Harry and Meghan have been in contact with his family since the massacre, which the US Department of Justice and other agencies agree was accompanied by a disastrous law enforcement response. .
"It was such a beautiful experience, they are so kind and compassionate, very down to earth, humble people," Martinez said in a text message to CNN.
"It was kind of a surprise, she [Meghan] called my mom one random day and told us the news that she was coming to visit the kids and of course we were very excited," he added.
Martinez says the couple has talked extensively with Irma and Joe's children about their plans and goals for the future.
Before they left, Megan surprised Martinez's mom with a birthday cake. A video shared by Martinez showed them singing "Happy Birthday" to Claudia Martinez, Irma's sister, who pointed out that this was not Harry and Meghan's first in-person meeting with the family.
Megan visited Yuvalde days after the shooting, where she was seen placing flowers at a makeshift memorial in front of the district court building./BGNES
