"He was a loving kid, and he never grew up to be something," his uncle Christopher Salazar shared.
Trigger Warning: This story mentions gun violence that may be disturbing to readers.
To the rest of the world, Jose Flores, Jr. may be one among the 19 children who lost their lives on May 24, 2022, in the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary, a mass shooting that also killed two teachers. But to his loved ones, he was a little boy who loved the color blue, playing baseball and who wanted to become a police officer, according to PEOPLE.
"He wanted to protect people," said the 10-year-old's uncle, Christopher Salazar, 33. "He wanted to be an officer to protect and serve people — and not like the officers here in Uvalde."
"They didn't even protect him," said an enraged Salazar who is disappointed at the way law enforcement has handled the situation.
Salazar recalled that after hearing the gunshots from his home down the street and rushed to the school. "I had a bad feeling," he said. He helplessly watched law enforcement officials prevent parents from entering the school building. "They had all these officers be there and none of these officers went in," Salazar said. "The cops here, they were all [too] scared to go in there."
He mentioned that the cops were unhelpful even when people were trying to locate their loved ones. "I saw people yelling and going crazy looking for their kids," he said.
Jose Flores Jr., was 10 years old, killed at Robb Elementary. His father says Jose was in the 4th grade and loved baseball and video games. “He was always full of energy. Ready to play till the night.”He says his son loved being big brother to his two siblings pic.twitter.com/CvJjxOaTXo
— Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) May 25, 2022
Salazar also couldn't find his nephew anywhere.
"The cops kept on saying he was on the bus. He was on the bus. We went looking for the bus. We did not find the bus," Salazar says. "We never saw him. We were praying and praying. I saw a little kid, it looked exactly like him, with a cap on. It wasn't him. And that's what made me more sad, because that was the last bus."
Unfortunately, the local hospitals and police stations also couldn't help him with his nephew's whereabouts.
Jose Flores Jr., 10#Uvalde #RobbElementaryschool pic.twitter.com/dNFCcTJ3Vv
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 25, 2022
"We went everywhere. We did not find him. And all of a sudden his dad went to the hospital because they said there were more kids," Salazar shared. "His dad called me to go over there. When I showed up, they told both of us that he had passed away and that we couldn't even see his body because it was too bad. Like it wasn't a body to see, for a dad and uncle to see."
Jose was a Houston Astros fan and wore number 6 on his baseball team. Salazar remembers he regularly picked his little nephew up from school and took him out for hot Cheetos, slushies, and wings. Or they would go fishing or swimming. He had promised to pick Jose up on that day as well.
"He was a good kid," Salazar recalled. "He was a happy kid." Salazar is certain that his nephew would be alive if law enforcement acted sooner and faster.
"He was a loving kid, and he never grew up to be something," Salazar shared. "He always wanted to be a cop and he never got to do that."
References:
https://people.com/crime/boy-killed-texas-shooting-wanted-to-be-police-officer/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Michael M. Santiago
