DALLAS — Alithia Ramirez was a 4th grader at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The 10-year-old girl was in the classroom that day when the gunman entered the school and killed 21 people, including Alithia.
Her father shares memories of her.
"She was beautiful," Ryan Ramirez said. "She recently turned 10 in late April. She wanted to be an artist."
He said Alithia's dream was to go to art school in Paris.
On May 24, 2022, just four weeks ago, Ramirez took her to school. He would always drop off her younger siblings first, and then Alithia. It was like any other morning. He didn't realize it would be the last time he would see his oldest daughter alive.
Ramirez and his family are learning new information about what happened inside Robb Elementary School. An image released this week showing law enforcement inside the building causes him pain.
"I couldn't stand looking at that photo because on the other side of that wall, my daughter was in there for 77 minutes with the gunman. It's just, this is hard," he said.
He wonders if Alithia was in pain, or if she was able to go quickly.
This father is disappointed by the law enforcement response.
He said, "They didn't want to do anything, and I just don't understand why that happened. And how can you swear to protect and you just hid behind a wall for 77 minutes?"
As hearings are underway, there is no explanation that can take the pain away of seeing his little girl in a casket.
"We were just crying thinking she was going to open her eyes. It just seemed like that because that's how peaceful she was," said Ramirez.
He wishes he could tell her he loves her again. He wishes he could take her to see all the things she wanted to see. He wishes she could fulfill her dreams of going to art school in Paris.
Ramirez said it's hard to live in Uvalde after what happened. Alithia loved Leakey, Texas, so he hopes his family can move there one day to fulfill her wishes.
Alithia is survived by her parents and her two younger siblings.