Texas

Grieving Grandma Slams Texas Gun Laws That Armed ‘Pure Evil’ School Shooter

Published

3 years ago

May 26, 2022

Grieving Grandma Slams Texas Gun Laws That Armed ‘Pure Evil’ School Shooter

Berlinda Arreola misplaced her “world’s sweetest” granddaughter within the Texas college bloodbath that claimed the lives of 19 youngsters and two lecturers Monday, so when she watched Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defend the state’s lenient gun legal guidelines throughout a press convention Tuesday, it was private.

When Abbott stated, “There are extra people who find themselves shot each weekend in Chicago than there are in faculties in Texas,” after which claimed these “actual information” disprove the “thesis” that stricter gun legal guidelines really work, Arreola had a visceral response.

“It upset me,” she tells Rolling Stone. “I don’t give an F what occurs in Chicago. [The shooter] purchased his weapons legally right here. He did what he did right here. We have to attempt to discover a option to change issues.”

Arreola says her household’s ache is tough to understand. Her granddaughter, Amerie Jo Garza, was “as near an ideal little one as you can get,” she says. Amerie made the dignity roll in school with all A’s and one B, showered her little brother with care and a spotlight and would overflow with pleasure when anybody took her to her favourite restaurant, Chick-fil-A.

Based on the grieving grandmother, the 10-year-old who liked to swim and draw was one of many first college students killed by the “pure evil” gunman who bought two high-powered assault rifles final week for his 18th birthday after which stormed a fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde.

“One in every of her classmates advised my son after they have been speaking within the emergency room that Amerie was shot as a result of she was making an attempt to name 911,” Arreola says. “She was shot in chilly blood for innocently making an attempt to do one thing in her nature. She was very shy and timid round strangers. So, I’m fairly certain she was terrified when this gunman walked in. However her first intuition was to name 911, as a result of she was additionally a protector — particularly to her little brother. She all the time needed to help.”

The Texas native says she considers the gunman’s mom an acquaintance and hadn’t heard any considerations about his habits from others within the small, tight-knight city. She stated it’s plain the shooter’s means to hold out his carnage was linked to his means to buy firearms.

“He actually purchased his weapons a pair days in the past. He had a plan. And he executed that plan as quickly as he was sufficiently old to get what he wanted,” Arreola, 49, says. “I really feel like 18 is simply too younger to purchase a weapon like that. I feel 21 is perhaps too younger. Folks that age are nonetheless not totally mentally developed. They shouldn’t have a rifle like that. No, simply no.” She continues: “And I really feel like there ought to be lessons. I really feel like there ought to be coaching. Similar to a driver’s license. You must should go a check, not simply stroll in and say, ‘I would like that gun,’ and completed, right here you go.”

She believes if the gunman had been examined and screened final week, purple flags would have surfaced.

“That man was pure evil, like a thousand and one % evil. Who of their proper thoughts would shoot their very own grandmother after which shoot harmless youngsters?” she says. “I simply really feel prefer it’s too straightforward to get a high-powered assault rifle. The legal guidelines have to vary. It’s going to take plenty of work. Hopefully we will get there.”

Within the meantime, her household is making preparations for Amerie’s funeral and grateful for the outpouring of assist for a GoFundMe arrange by a buddy of Amerie’s mother.

“Amerie was the world’s sweetest little lady. She actually was. She obeyed her mother and father. She by no means obtained in hassle in school. And he or she was just a little diva. She was girly. She didn’t put on clothes, however she liked purses, fake nails, her little excessive heels,” Arreola says. “To us, she was a hero. She was making an attempt to make one cellphone name not understanding it was going to finish her life.”

Amerie’s mother and father expressed their devastation in heartbreaking Fb posts.

“You didn’t deserve this my candy child lady. Mommy loves you , mommy can’t sleep with out you. Mommy wants you, Amerie I can’t do that life with out you. How am I presupposed to stay life with out you? I’ll by no means perceive. I like you and I’ll by no means be the identical, ever once more,” her mother Kimberly Garcia wrote.

“Ohhh my candy child I like you a lot . I’ll by no means be completely satisfied or full once more,” dad Angel Garza wrote.

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Texas

Hazardous road conditions expected as North Texas snow event ends Friday morning

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Hazardous road conditions expected as North Texas snow event ends Friday morning

North Texans brace for icy roads after snow and rain

04:22

NORTH TEXAS – This week’s snow event will end with a “few flurries” during Friday’s morning commute, according to CBS News Texas meteorologist Jeff Ray.

“But roads will have frozen over,” Ray said.

Expect hazardous road conditions in the morning, as it will be “the worst” the roads have been since the event started on Thursday morning, Ray said.

Late in the morning, temperatures will rise above freezing, which will “help drivers get around the Metroplex,” Ray said.

A cold front is expected Friday, he said.

“We are going to have wind chills in the 20s all day,” Ray said. “By nightfall on Friday, temperatures will drop quickly and water will re-freeze on the roads across the evening. This ice will remain until mid-morning on Saturday before the sun and warmer temperatures in the mid-40s clear the roadways.”

CBS News Texas will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Doug Myers

Doug Myers is a digital content producer for CBS Texas. A longtime journalist, Doug has worked for four newspapers in Texas and Louisiana and for three television stations in Texas. He has also spent time as a digital content manager for a national trade association and as communications director for a state agency.

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Texas

Hazardous travel expected as ice covers roads overnight in North Texas

Published

10 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Hazardous travel expected as ice covers roads overnight in North Texas – CBS Texas

Watch CBS News

Road conditions will worsen Thursday night as rain, sleet and snow freeze over in North Texas. By Friday morning, ice will make travel hazardous, especially on untreated side roads.

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Texas

South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – Texas A&M

Published

18 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – Texas A&M

South Carolina women’s basketball hosts its SEC home opener against Texas A&M on Thursday evening. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.

1. Missing Ashlyn

South Carolina announced on Tuesday that junior forward Ashlyn Watkins will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Staley let Watkins tell the team about her injury, and then the coaches have tried to push forward.

“We just keep it moving, try not to harp on it too much because it’s felt,” Staley said. “The more you move on, the more they move on – and our players have to move on. It’s a part of it.”

I broke down how South Carolina will try to replace Watkins here.

Staley said, “Only time will tell” the impact of Watkins’ absence, but it is definitely an opportunity for Maryam Dauda, Adhel Tac, and Sakima Walker to step into a new role.

“Sometimes, when you remove someone as big as Ashlyn from your equation, other people have an opportunity,” Staley said. “And what they do with that opportunity, usually, they do something pretty good with it. We’ll work with them, and we’ll be patient with them.”

2. Spurtability

South Carolina’s strengths this season have been its bench and its transition game. In the first two SEC games, South Carolina pulled away with the second unit on the court getting stops and getting out in transition.

Watkins, with her ability to rim run with or without the ball, was a huge part of that. Her absence isn’t going to stop the Gamecocks from running, especially at home. Even without Watkins, the Gamecocks had 15 fast break points on Sunday.

That quick-strike ability has Texas A&M coach Jni Taylor worried.

“We have a saying around here that says, ‘before you know it,’” Taylor said. “If you keep doing the right thing, keep putting your head down, keep grinding, you look up and before you know it, you’ll be where you’re supposed to be. Likewise, if you don’t come out ready, if you are pouting, if you are feeling sorry for yourself, before you know it, you won’t be where you’re supposed to be. That’s one of those things at South Carolina. They’re a really good team. They play really well at home. We will be, flashback of last year here, we’ll be down 15 to zero before we can bat an eye if we don’t come out ready to go.”

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3. (Dress rehearsal)

Nobody is going to say it out loud, but Thursday’s game is an important tune-up for the Sunday showdown against no. 5 Texas.

Is Tac ready to battle Kyla Oldacre? Can Dauda’s shooting pull Oldacre away from the paint? Is there enough rim protection to keep Rori Harmon from getting easy layups, or do they need to get creative? Who should guard Madison Booker?

It’s a familiar refrain in these parts. Get the game in hand early so you have the fourth quarter to look at some different lineups.

“We let our players play through some stuff, and then you’ve got to look at the scoreboard,” Staley said. “If we’re holding serve on the scoreboard, and we’re up, more lenient to leave them out there to give them some minutes. But, if the scoreboard moves in an unfavorable way, then you got to get combinations out there that’s going to move it the opposite way.”

Texas hosts no. 18 Alabama on Thursday night, so the Longhorns can’t afford to look ahead. But we can.

[USC-Texas WBB: Win tickets, parking]

4. Availability report

Maddy McDaniel and Sakima Walker were both listed as OUT on the Wednesday evening Availability Report.

McDaniel has not played since the holiday break after suffering a concussion. Walker has not played since the Iowa State game and hasn’t been available since the TCU game with an ankle injury. Both have started participating in practice this week but obviously are not yet full-speed.

Vanessa Saidu is listed as OUT for Texas A&M. She has yet to play this season. Amirah Abdur-Rahim is listed as questionable.

Side note: Because Watkins has been declared out for the season, she is not included on the availability report.

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5. Scouting the Aggies

The Aggies are one of the three SEC teams that haven’t reached 10 wins yet. There are a lot of good players on the roster – anyone in the country would take Lauren Ware, Sahara Jones, and Janae Kent – plus a great scorer in Aicha Coulibaly, but the sum of the parts hasn’t been quite where it needs to be.

However, Texas A&M is coming off an upset of then-25th-ranked Ole Miss on Sunday. The win was a 60-58 rock fight in which Ole Miss shot 0-12 in the fourth quarter, but that fits Joni Taylor’s defensive mindset.

‘I think that we’ve been able to show really good spurts defensively of how we can impact the game,” Taylor said. “To hold Ole Miss or any team, for that matter, without a field goal in the fourth quarter is really impressive, and I think it just shows, again, what we are capable of.”

Coulibaly has been a thorn in the Gamecocks’ side before. She scored 32 points and grabbed six rebounds against the Gamecocks in the SEC tournament quarterfinals last season. Coulibaly had no problem getting to the basket and drawing fouls, going 13-15 from the line. And that was with Watkins and Kamilla Cardoso guarding the rim.

“Coulibaly is the one that we haven’t solved playing against her,” Staley said. “I do think they’re better. They’re playing more cohesive. They’ve got some bigs that do what bigs do. They have guards that are a year older, some transfers that have played in our league, so … formidable. And then, they’re coming off a big win against Ole Miss.”

Texas A&M freshman Taliyah Parker was a high school teammate of Tac’s at South Grand Prairie. Parker has appeared in all 14 games this season and averages 5.3 points and 2.4 rebounds.

The Ws
Who: #1 South Carolina (14-1, 2-0) vs Texas A&M (8-6, 1-1)
When: 5:00 EST, Thursday, January 9
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: ESPN2

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