'You're All Gonna Die': 10-Year-Old Survivor of Uvalde Attack Recounts Horror Inside Classroom

Samuel Salinas, 10, says he played dead to survive the shooting

A survivor of Tuesday's mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, is sharing horrific details about the attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Samuel Salinas, 10, was a student in the fourth grade class taught by Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia's fourth-grade class. In an interview with Good Morning America on Friday, he recounts the terror inside the classroom.

"[The shooter] came in and said, 'You're all gonna die,' and just started shooting," Samuel said. "He shot the teacher and then he shot the kids."

Samuel says that the gunman aimed at him, but the bullet hit a chair. Shrapnel hit Samuel's thigh, but he was careful not to flinch. "I played dead so he wouldn't shoot me," he said.

A cellphone started to ring on one of the desks, Samuel says. A girl reached up to try to silence it and more gunshots rang out.

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The shooting continued for up to 40 minutes, according to various timelines provided by authorities. When police finally arrived, they began shooting at the gunman. Officers moved some desks out of the way so that Samuel and other survivors could escape to safety. Samuel tells Good Morning America that he could see the bodies of his classmates and teachers as he escaped into the hall.

"There was blood on the ground," he says. "There were kids full of blood."

When asked about seeing his friends again who survived the shooting, Samuel said, "I'm not looking forward to it." He added, "I'm just going to stay home and rest."

Members of the community gather at the City of Uvalde Town Square for a prayer vigil in the wake of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. According to reports, 19 students and 2 adults were killed before the gunman was fatally shot by law enforcement.
Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty

Police are still investigating the shooting, but they say that all the fatalities took place inside Samuel's classroom.

All of the children killed were in the second, third, and fourth grades.

The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the "Robb School Memorial Fund") or donate money through Zelle to robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com. People can also donate by calling 830-356-2273.

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