Uvalde girl who played dead to survive shooting will share story with House committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN) — A fourth-grade student who survived the deadly Uvalde school shooting as well as the parents of a victim will go to Washington next week to testify before a House committee.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced Friday that members will hear from Miah Cerrillo, Felix Rubio and Kimberly Rubio during their hearing on June 8. A pediatrician from Uvalde, Dr. Roy Guerrero, is also set to speak.

Cerrillo is the 11-year-old student who survived the Uvalde mass shooting after she said she covered herself in a classmate’s blood and played dead to protect herself from being shot. It's reported that she and one of her friends also called 911 from their dead teacher's phone to ask the police for help.

Felix and Kimberly Rubio lost their 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio, in the shooting. Felix, a Uvalde County deputy, said he and his wife had been at the school hours before the shooting to celebrate their daughter making honor roll and receiving a good citizen award.

A shooter armed with an AR-15 killed 19 students and two teachers when he locked himself in a classroom at Robb Elementary School on May 24.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the New York Democrat who's the committee chairwoman, said the hearing will focus on the "gun violence epidemic in the United States" and examining the "urgent need" to address it.

In a statement, Maloney said, "Our hearing will examine the terrible impact of gun violence and the urgent need to rein in the weapons of war used to perpetrate these crimes.  It is my hope that all my colleagues will listen with an open heart as gun violence survivors and loved ones recount one of the darkest days of their lives.  This hearing is ultimately about saving lives, and I hope it will galvanize my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation to do just that."

The hearing will also include remarks from Zeneta Everhart whose 20-year-old son Zaire Goodman was wounded during the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York grocery store. Ten people died in the attack on May 14, and three others were hurt. Authorities said a white gunman went to the store with the “express purpose” of killing Black people.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee advanced legislation Thursday that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21, as Democrats moved quickly to put their stamp on gun legislation in response to the mass shootings in Texas and New York.