Twitter philanthropist helps family of slain Uvalde teacher raise nearly $2m

After a tweet from multimillionaire philanthropist Bill Pulte, donations surged past the family's $30,000 fundraising goal on GoFundMe

Alanna De Leon writes the name of her friend, Annabelle Rodriguez, who died in the shooting. AFP

Pallbearers carry the coffin of Amerie Jo Garza into Sacred Heart Catholic Church. AP

Pallbearers carry the coffin of Amerie Jo Garza, who died in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. AFP

A memorial in Town Square, Uvalde, Texas, for victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting. Reuters

A woman places a rose on Layla Salazar’s memorial cross, who was one of the victims that died in the shooting. Reuters

Bags with brisket sandwiches and a snack that will be sold at a fundraiser for families of the victims. Reuters

Ashtyn Leigh, 18, hands a man a brisket meal. Reuters

A choir sings in front of the memorial. Reuters

People pray in front of memorial crosses. Reuters

Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the shooting. AFP

People visit a memorial for the victims. AFP

Flowers are left outside the school. AFP

Twenty-one empty chairs are seen outside of a daycare center as a memorial for the victims. AP Photo

Football teammates of Tess Mata, who died in the Texas school shooting, cry as they visit a makeshift memorial outside the Uvalde County Courthouse. AFP

A football teammate of shooting victim Tess Mata cries, supported by her mother. AFP

Texas police faced angry questions over why it took an hour to stop the gunman who murdered 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, as video emerged of desperate parents begging officers to storm the school. AFP

Activists join Senate Democrats outside the Capitol, in Washington, to demand action on gun control legislation after the killings at the Texas elementary school this week. AP

The George R Brown Convention Centre, site of the National Rifle Association annual convention. Days after the deadliest mass school shooting in Texas history, the gun lobbyist group is meeting in Houston, from Friday until Sunday. Reuters

Pastor Carlos Contreras preaches to his congregation as photos of some of the children killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary flash on the screen at Primera Iglesia Bautista, in Uvalde. Reuters

People march after a vigil held to stand with the Uvalde families and demand an end to gun violence in Newtown, Connecticut. AP

A woman holds up a banner at the end of the vigil in Newtown, Connecticut. AP

Newtown was the scene of the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when 20 pupils and six teachers were killed by a gunman. AP

Candles are lit for each victim as people pray at St Philip's Episcopal Church. EPA

A makeshift memorial in front of Robb Elementary School. AFP

Omahar Padillo with his son Omahar Jr, 12, during a community prayer, in Pharr, Texas, for the shooting victims at Robb Elementary School. AP

Omahar Padillo Jr, 12, and his sister Samantha, 9, with their mother, Silvia Padillo, write messages in support of the victims at Robb Elementary School. AP

A vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. AFP

A young mourner at the vigil in Uvalde, Texas. AFP

Families at the vigil. AFP

A woman holds a photo of Nevaeh Bravo, who was killed in the mass shooting, during a vigil for the victims of the massacre in Uvalde, Texas. AFP

Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco is comforted by Senator Ted Cruz during a vigil at the Uvalde County Fairplex Arena. AP

Diana Karau of Uvalde with a therapy dog named Tritan before a vigil to honour those killed at Robb Elementary. AP

Gun-control advocates Dana Cibulski, left, and Judi Giannini attend a vigil outside the National Rifle Association headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. AFP

Uziyah Garcia, 8, was among those killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. AP

Pastor Jaime Cabralez, the uncle of shooting victim 10-year-old Eliahana Cruz Torres, is surrounded in prayer at his church in Uvalde, Texas on Wednesday. Reuters

A woman embraces a child outside Willie de Leon Civic Centre, in Uvalde, where pupils were taken after the school shooting. Bloomberg

Gun-control advocates hold a vigil outside the National Rifle Association (NRA) headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. AFP

A woman and child leave the Civic Centre. Reuters

A GoFundMe campaign set up in the name of Irma Garcia, the fourth-grade teacher killed during a mass shooting at a Texas primary school on Tuesday, has raised more than $1.79 million after renowned Twitter philanthropist Bill Pulte asked his 3.2 million followers to donate money to pay for funeral costs and help to financially support her family.

The original goal of the GoFundMe campaign was to reach $30,000, according to a tweet by Garcia’s nephew, John Martinez, who approached Mr Pulte to help the family reach their financial target, according to the Detroit Free Press newspaper.

Since then, Mr Martinez's original campaign, which raised $557,432, has been transferred over to a GoFundMe page set up by Debra Austin, Garcia's cousin, where donations have continued to surge.

Garcia, a mother of four children, was killed alongside co-teacher Eva Mireles and 19 of their pupils by teenage gunman Salvador Ramos at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, in one of the deadliest school shootings in the US in years.

Garcia’s husband, Joe, suffered a heart attack on Thursday morning and died shortly after placing flowers at a memorial site for the victims of the shooting, the Associated Press reported.

The couple’s oldest child, Cristian, is a Marine. Their other son, Jose, attends Texas State University. Their eldest daughter, Lyliana, is in her second year at high school, while her younger sister is in the seventh grade, AP said.

As of Friday morning in the UAE, the GoFundMe campaign has raised $1,792,780 from 29,026 donations, with many of them from Mr Pulte’s followers.

Mr Pulte is the grandson of the late William Pulte, the founder of Pulte Homes, the second-biggest home developer in the US, according to Forbes. At the time of his death in 2018, Pulte senior had a net worth of $1.8 billion.

Mr Pulte, who celebrates his 34th birthday on Saturday, has a net worth of $100 million, according to wealth-tracking website Celebrity Net Worth. The bulk of his wealth is derived from his private equity company, Pulte Capital.

“He has become known for social media stunts where he gives away free cars, hands cash to strangers in parking lots and giving away money on Twitter,” Celebrity Net Worth said.

Mr Pulte noticed that $12,000 had been raised on the GoFundMe site for the Garcia family within the first 10 hours, he said during an interview with the Detroit Free Press on Thursday.

After his first tweet, the donations surged past the $50,000 mark, he said.

“It's devastating,” Mr Pulte told the newspaper. “I thought of some of my kid's teachers when I looked at the lady's photo. We've got to use the full force of Twitter philanthropy to take care of her. This money all goes to her family. People want to take care of other people.”

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Vigil held for Texas shooting victims