Editor’s note: This article is part of a KSAT 12 special project Remembering the Victims of the Robb Elementary School.
There was something about his eyes. They smiled when he was happy. Uziyah Garcia, 10, who was known to his family as “Uzi,” had a great sense of humor.
“He loved making people smile and laugh,” said Uzi’s uncle, Mitch Renfro.
Uzi was also active. He loved football and playing video games. And his affinity for comic book superheroes was very telling. Spiderman was his favorite.
“He had aspirations as a very young kid. He understood a lot. He wanted to be anything from a game designer to a police officer. He loved being around the law enforcement officers. He loved being around people that made a difference. And he thought he could make a difference.”
The 10-year-old was also bright. He was an honor roll student and loved math.
“He was a problem solver, so of course he liked math, the sciences.”
Renfro said as Uzi got older, he solidified his math skills.
“He was on a roll,” he said.
“His favorite teacher was Mr. Arnulfo [Reyes] and he couldn’t get enough of him. I really feel that teacher was the one that spent so much time [with him] and brought him to where he was,” added Renfro.
Renfro hopes people remember Uzi for the great kid he was.
“He might have been…still fresh to the world, but he loved everyone…he would do funny faces. He was…one of the funniest kids I could ever have met in my life,” he said.