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11-Year Old Student Says Uvalde Gunman Told Her Teacher ‘Goodnight’ Before Killing Her

REUTERS/Nuri Vallbona

Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
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Eleven-year-old Miah Cerrillo told CNN producer Nora Neus that the Robb Elementary School gunman said “goodnight” to her teacher before he killed her.

Cerrillo was present in the fourth-grade classroom where 19 students and two teachers were killed Tuesday by a lone gunman in Uvalde, Texas, according to Friday reports from CNN. Neus said Cerillo told her the class was watching “Lilo and Stitch” because “it was the end of the school year, they’d finished their lessons.”

The teachers received an email about a shooter in the building, and they found the shooter “right there” when they went to the door, Neus reported. The gunman then reportedly made eye contact with the teacher and shot through the classroom door’s window, according to the CNN producer. (RELATED: ‘No Waiting For Tactical Teams’: Former SWAT Commander Explains How Police Are Trained To Handle Active Shooters)

“He backed the teacher into the classroom and he made eye contact with the teacher again, looked her right in the eye, and said ‘Goodnight’ and then shot her and killed her,” Neus reported based on Cerrillo’s account, saying the gunman then proceeded quickly in opening fire throughout the classroom.

Cerrillo was reportedly hit by bullet fragments on her back, shoulders and back of the head as her classmates and the other teacher in the room were killed, Neus reported. The gunman went into the adjoining classroom, where Cerrillo said she heard more gunfire, screams and then music, Neus told CNN.

“[Cerrillo] thinks it was the gunman that put it on. He started blasting sad music,” Neus continued. The producer said she asked Cerrillo what kind of music, with the 11-year-old replying that it sounded like “I want people to die” music, the CNN report continued.

Cerrillo said she had a friend lying to her who she was “pretty sure” was already dead, so Cerrillo covered herself in the friend’s blood to make it seem like she was dead in case the shooter came back, Neus reported.