The husband of one of the teachers killed in the shooting at a Texas elementary school has died of a heart attack, family members said.
Joe Garcia and his wife, fourth-grade teacher Irma Garcia, were high school sweethearts and were married for 24 years. On Tuesday, she was fatally shot in her classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, along with one other teacher and 19 children.
One of Irma's nephews, John Martinez, announced in a tweet Thursday that Joe had "passed away due to grief."
"I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling," Martinez wrote.
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, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn’t easy
The couple had four children, ages 13, 15, 19, and 23, Martinez said. "No child should have to go through this, my heart breaks for them," he added.
A GoFundMe created by Debra Austin, Irma's cousin, had raised more than $100,000 as of Thursday afternoon for the family following Joe's death, which she described as a medical emergency. Family members told Fox 4 he had a heart attack.
"I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart and losing the love of his life of more than 30 years was too much to bear," Austin wrote.
Irma had worked at Robb Elementary for her entire career, spending more than two decades there. She co-taught alongside Eva Mireles, who was also killed in the shooting.
Irma's eldest son, Christian Garcia, told local outlets that a friend in law enforcement said his mother was found attempting to shield her students from the gunfire. Another GoFundMe set up in Irma's honor had raised more than $300,000 as of Thursday afternoon. It was created by Martinez, who described her as "sweet, kind, [and] loving."
"She sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom," Martinez wrote. "She was a hero. She was loved by many and will truly be missed."