Eulalio “Lalo” Diaz Jr., the city’s justice of the peace and de facto medical examiner, was on standby when Salvador Ramos slaughtered 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24. “Then they tell me there are 16 to 17 victims and most of them are children and of course I did not want to hear that,” Diaz told the US Sun. “I did not know what the scene would be like, but I knew the children would not have IDs or name badges, so we will not know who these children are until we evaluate the process of what we should do.” To help with the inconceivable process, the medical examiner summoned the medical examiner of Bexar County to San Antonio before he even entered the classroom where the students and teachers were killed, the US Sun reported. Police Officer David Valdez hugs Uvalde peacekeeper Eulalio Diaz as Diaz is told he must identify the bodies of 19 children. Omar Ornelas / USA Today Network via REUTERS / PhotoDiaz Jr. Archive was on alert when Salvador Ramos slaughtered 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24. REUTERS / Brad Brooks Diaz and the other official then went through the arduous and annoying process of trying to identify the bodies using photographs and descriptions of the victims. “We went almost person to person, victim to victim, with photos, just trying to make sure this person matched the description and we were able to clear all the names,” he told the news agency. Diaz said he also decided to shield the damaged families from the body of the disturbed gunman. The vast majority of the victims of the Uwalde shooting were children. AFP via Getty Images “We also had to handle him, so he was immediately separated from the victims at the site and was the last to leave,” he told the US Sun. “I made sure that I signed the order for the victims, I sent them first to the medical examiner. I signed a separate order for him. “He did not leave until all the victims were gone,” he said. “He did not go to the medical examiner until all the victims had returned to Uvalde. “Once all the victims were released back in Uvalde, we sent him to the medical examiner’s office,” Diaz added. The victim of the Uvalde shooting, Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, was identified by her green sneakers after she was shot. AP Photo / Susan WalshChildren run to safety after escaping from a window during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. Pete Luna / Uvalde Leader-News / Handout via REUTERS Meanwhile, the remains of Ramos are kept in an unknown county. “As of now, the family has not given me instructions yet, but as soon as they do, I will leave him with the family and sign an order allowing the morgue holding him to release him to the funeral home where you are to handle the shooter.” he told the US Sun. “The whole city is first of all shocked that this happened in our community and, secondly, it asks, ‘What happened?’ Diaz added. “It’s a question on everyone’s mind. “Hopefully they will be able to get some answers soon.”
