For Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles, teaching fourth graders at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, was one of the joys of their lives, a vocation dedicated to educating children and keeping them out of harm's way.
Relatives briefed by police said Ms Garcia and Ms Mireles died on Tuesday trying to protect their students after a gunman burst into their classroom, barricaded the doors and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.
The gunman — who killed 19 children and two adults inside the elementary school — carried a long-barrelled rifle with multiple rounds of ammunition and wore a "tactical vest" as body armour, according to local officials.
Minutes before his rampage, the 18-year-old gunman posted to Facebook he was going to shoot up an elementary school.
When the mass shooting was over, 19 children, aged 9 and 10, the two teachers and the gunman himself were dead, and multiple others were wounded.
Ms Garcia — a married mother of four who taught at Robb Elementary for 23 years — was a "sweet, kind, loving" teacher who considered her students to be family, her relatives said.
"She passed away with children in her arms trying to protect them," her nephew, John Martinez, wrote on Twitter.
"Those weren't just her students. They were her kids as well."
The daughter of the other teacher, Eva Mireles, penned a tribute to her mother on Wednesday, which was to have been nearly the last day of the school year.
"I don't know how to do this life without you, but I will take care of Dad. I will take care of our dogs and I will forever say your name so you are always remembered, Eva Mireles, 4th grade teacher at Robb Elementary who selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives," Adalynn Ruiz wrote on Facebook.
Ms Garcia, 46, was named "teacher of the year" at the school to which she dedicated her entire career.
In 2019, she was one of 19 San Antonio-area educators named as finalists for Trinity University's prize for excellence in teaching.
At the time, she was teaching third grade, specialising in social studies and ELAR, or English Language Arts and Reading.
"I am so excited to begin this new school year already," Ms Garcia wrote in note on the school district's website before this academic year began.
The long-time educator offered students a glimpse into her personal life and her passions, saying she loved barbecuing with her husband of 24 years, Joe.
She was the proud mother of four: Her eldest son was at military boot camp and her second son at Texas State University. She had two younger daughters as well.
A Facebook photo showed her husband and son holding a heart-shaped sign that reads "Proud Bobcat family," a nod to the football team at Texas State.
'All we can do is pray'
Eva Mireles was trained in bilingual and special education. She loved outdoors activities such as running and hiking, and cherished her husband, daughter and "three furry friends", according to a short biography posted on the school's website.
Her husband, Ruben Ruiz, is a police officer on the school district's police force, the agency investigating the massacre.
Her aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, grieved for her niece in a Facebook post, asking for prayers for her family and the entire town of Uvalde.
The community, about 130 km west of San Antonio, has about 16,000 residents, nearly 80 per cent of them Hispanic or Latino, according to US Census data.
"I'm furious that these shootings continue. These children are innocent. Rifles should not be easily available to all. This is my hometown, a small community of less than 20,000. I never imagined this would happen to especially loved ones," Ms Martinez Delgado said in a statement.
There were two days left in the school year when Tuesday's massacre unfolded. The school district cancelled classes for the remainder of the school year and has established grief counselling for survivors.
Gunman shared shooting intention on Facebook
The Texas gunman posted on Facebook that he was going to shoot up an elementary school about 15 minutes before his rampage, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news conference.
The gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, also posted a message saying he was going to shoot his grandmother, as well as another confirming that he had done so, Mr Abbott said.
His grandmother, whom he shot in the face shortly before attacking the school, survived and called police.
The gunman fled the home he shared with his grandparents and crashed his car near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
He entered the school through a back door, carrying an assault-style rifle and wearing tactical gear.
Authorities said he barricaded himself in a fourth-grade classroom and killed students and teachers before he was fatally shot by a US Border Patrol officer.
The Facebook posts were the only advance warning of the rampage, Mr Abbott said, adding that the gunman did not appear to have any criminal record nor history of mental health problems.
Instagram investigating account
Meanwhile, Instagram has confirmed that it is working with law enforcement to review an account that appears to belong to the gunman.
A series of posts appeared on Instagram and TikTok in the days leading-up to Tuesday's mass shooting.
One selfie appears to show the shooter in front of a mirror, while another photo shows a gun magazine in hand.
On Friday, the same day law enforcement officials say the gunman bought a second rifle, a picture of two AR-style semi-automatic rifles appeared.
Another Instagram user with many more followers was tagged in that post.
That user has since removed her profile, but first she shared parts of what appears to be a chilling exchange with the gunman, asking her to share his gun pictures with her more than 10,000 followers.
"I barely know you and u tag me in a picture with some guns," she responded, adding, "It's just scary."
A response sent from his account on Tuesday morning just said: "I'm about to."
Texas governor candidate crashes news conference
Former US Representative Beto O'Rourke stood up and interrupted the news conference on Wednesday shouting, "You are doing nothing."
Mr O'Rourke, a Democrat who is running for governor of Texas against Republican Mr Abbott, began yelling to the gathered officials after the Governor finished outlining mental health resources available to those affected by the mass shooting.
Mr O'Rourke called the mass shooting "totally predictable when you choose not to do anything".
Others shouted Mr O'Rourke down and security officials moved to escort him out of the room after he broke into the news conference with accusations that the elected officials were doing nothing to stop gun violence.
"You're a sick son of a b**** who would come to a deal like this to make a political issue," one of the participants yelled at Mr O'Rourke.
Speaking to reporters outside the news conference, Mr O'Rourke said: "We owe those parents action. They want us to do something right now. I want us to do something right now. We can do something right now. But, if we continue to accept this, then it is on us, it's not just the Governor's fault, it is on us".
The attack — which came 10 days after an avowed white supremacist shot 13 people at a supermarket in a mostly Black neighbourhood of Buffalo — has reignited a national debate over US gun laws.
In a prime-time address on Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden called for new gun-safety restrictions.
"As a nation, we have to ask: 'When in God's name are we're going to stand up to the gun lobby?'" he pleaded, his voice rising.
However, new legislation appears unlikely to pass in Washington.
Virtually all Republicans in Congress oppose new gun restrictions, citing the US Constitution's guarantee of a right to bear arms, and there was no sign the massacre would alter that position.
White House officials were planning a trip to Texas for Mr Biden, a senior administration official said.
ABC/Wires
