The mother of the gunman who killed 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary School apologized to the family of one of the victims after they confronted her in Uvalde, Texas.
“I know my son was a coward. You don’t think I don’t know that? I know. You don’t think I’m carrying all that with me? You don’t think I don’t know? I know. And I’m sorry,” said Adriana Martinez, the mother of gunman Salvador Ramos, in video released Tuesday by Telemundo.
Telemundo’s footage identified the family of 10-year-old victim Amerie Jo Garza confronting Martinez as she walked to her car in Uvalde.
Garza’s family are heard asking Martinez why her son carried out the killings. “Because he was pissed off at you? Because you destroyed him? Because that’s what he was saying.”
Another family member echoed: “What reason did he have? What reason did he have to kill 21?” They also asked why Martinez didn’t act on earlier warning signs and call the police on her son.
“I’m sorry,” Martinez responded.
Martinez also at one point in the video says that the family has “no right to judge my son” and added, “May God forgive y’all.”
In an interview shortly after the shooting, Martinez told CNN that her son “had his reasons for doing what he did” and asked for forgiveness from the victims.
“Forgive me, forgive my son. I know he had his reasons,” she said in the interview, translated from Spanish by CNN.
When pressed on what those reasons were, Martinez said: “To get closer to those children, instead of paying attention to the other bad things. I have no words. I don’t know.”
The Dallas Morning News first reported on the Telemundo video release.