- 10-year-old cousins are among the 19 children killed during a Tuesday
mass shooting in Texas. - Jacklyn Cazares and Annabell Rodríguez were in the same classroom when the shooting broke out.
Two young cousins in the same classroom at Robb Elementary School were both killed in the Tuesday mass shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 children, in
Family members confirmed that Jacklyn Cazares and Annabell Rodríguez, both 10, were fatally shot.
Polly Flores, who was Jackie's aunt and Annabelle's great-aunt, told The New York Times the girls were so close that Annabell's twin sister, who was home-schooled, was often jealous of their relationship.
"We are a very tight family," Flores told the outlet. "It's just devastating."
Jackie had her First Communion earlier this month, her aunt said. She was "outgoing; she always had to be the center of attention," Flores told The Times. "She was my little diva."
Annabell was quieter and an honor roll student, according to Flores. Annabell's father on Tuesday told local media that he was searching for his daughter amid the chaos of the aftermath of the shooting.
"They don't know where she's at ... her name is not here," he told KHOU 11 at the time. "They're not letting us in at the hospital right now so we don't know where to go."
The family was later informed that Annabelle was among the dead. They shared a photo with local media of Annabell holding honor roll and music certificates with a smile on her face.
—Anayeli Ruiz KHOU (@AnayeliNews) May 25, 2022
Jacklyn's father memorialized the 4th grader in a Facebook post.
"My baby girl has been taken away from my family and I. We're devastated in ways, I hope no one ever goes thru," Jacinto Cazares wrote. "Taken out of arms and lives, in this freaking cowardly way, so young, so innocent, full of life and love. It hurts us to our souls."
—WFAA (@wfaa) May 25, 2022