Husband of teacher killed in Texas shooting dies of heart attack

 

Joe Garcia, 50, dies after delivering flowers to wife’s memorial

The husband of a teacher killed in the Texas school shooting has died from a heart attack, his family say.

Joe Garcia was preparing for the funeral of Irma Garcia, his high school sweetheart and wife of 24 years, when he collapsed and died on Thursday, his nephew John Martinez told The New York Times.

The couple leave behind four children, with the oldest 23 and the others teenagers, according to The Times.

Irma Garcia, 46, was one of two teachers killed on Tuesday at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, along with 19 children. Relatives briefed by authorities said Garcia and her co-teacher Eva Mireles died trying to protect their pupils.

“Extremely heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma’s husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling,” Mr Martinez wrote on his Twitter account, using the Spanish word for “aunt” and requesting prayers for the family.

“God have mercy on us, this isn’t easy.”

Mr Martinez, 21, a student at Texas State University, said Joe Garcia died after returning home from delivering flowers to a memorial for his wife.

He “pretty much just fell over”, Mr Martinez told The Times. “I’m really in shock right now.”