UVALDE, Texas – A family of five from San Antonio visited Uvalde on Sunday to stand alongside the grief-stricken community after a mass shooting at an elementary school claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers.
KSAT anchor and reporter Steve Spriester spoke with the Avitia family, who drove 90 minutes from San Antonio to pay their respects to the victims.
“This has been so, so difficult for all that we just had to do a little something for this community and to keep us strong as a family, because this really hit hard,” one of the family members said.
The Avitia family wore T-shirts that they made themselves, which read “Uvalde Strong” with an outline of the state of Texas.
When Spriester asked the family what inspired them to wear their support, they said it was the least they could do during a time like this.
“It’s not gonna make a difference with what happened, but we’re here and we’re hurting just like everyone else here.”
One of the family members, a young mother, was holding her infant daughter. Spriester asked her how she was feeling in wake of the elementary school shooting.
“It’s scary. It’s hard to think that in a couple of years, I have to send her (the infant) and know that you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she told Spriester. “I know it’s scary for the parents... we don’t know what they’re going through.”
The mother began to get emotional, as tears started to roll down her face, gripped by the loss of the young shooting victims that have shaken the Uvalde community to its core.
“To see those little faces on those crosses, it’s not right. This should not have been something that happened,” the mother said. “Those kids had a whole life ahead of them. From this, to walking into a school thinking you’re okay one second and then the next second, you’re screaming for help and you don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden also visited Uvalde Sunday to provide comfort to the community as it continues to heal from this unspeakable tragedy.
RELATED: President Biden, first lady visit Uvalde Sunday to pay respects
The Avitia family has one simple message for the Uvalde community: They are not alone.
READ MORE ABOUT THE UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING: