“She could have been anything,” said her father, Vincent Salazar III.
“Running…that was something that she really liked to do.”
She competed in races, and had recently won six 1st place ribbons.
In this image provided by Vincent Salazar, Layla Salazar poses with her first place ribbons from field day at her school, Robb Elementary School. Layla was one of the 19 children and their two teachers who were gunned down behind a barricaded door at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (Vincent Salazar via Associated Press)
Salazar told KSAT how he felt when Layla was born.
“I just couldn’t believe that I had a daughter. I mean, I had two sons and I felt like…we’re complete now as a family.”
Layla recorded a TikTok video on Mother’s Day of 2022. In it, she celebrated all mothers.
“I hope all the moms out there have an awesome and a blessed day.”
Vincent Salazar holds up a framed photograph of his daughter, Layla Salazar at his home in Uvalde, Texas Thursday, May 26, 2022. Layla Salazar was one of the 19 children and their two teachers who were gunned down behind a barricaded door at Robb Elementary School. Each morning as he drove her to school in his pickup, Salazar would play "Sweet Child O' Mine," by Guns N' Roses and they'd sing along, he said. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Stephania Jimenez is an anchor on The Nightbeat.
She began her journalism career in 2006, after graduating from Syracuse University. She's anchored at NBC Philadelphia, KRIS in Corpus Christi, NBC Connecticut and KTSM in El Paso.
Although born and raised in Brooklyn, Stephania considers Texas home.
Stephania is bilingual! She speaks Spanish.
