Uvalde fourth grader who survived shooting tells story to Congress, father says schools 'not safe anymore'

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Uvalde shooting survivor Miah Cerrillo tells Congress about smearing blood on herself

Miah Cerrillo, 11, testified before the House Oversight Committee about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, told the House Oversight Committee about her experience, in which she saw a shooter kill her classmates and a teacher.

In pre-recorded video testimony, Cerrillo recalled how she hid while the shooter, identified by authorities as Salvador Ramos, "shot my teacher, and told my teacher goodnight, and shot her in the head."

Cerrillo, 11, described how she saw the shooter open fire on her classmates and a whiteboard, and what she did to protect herself after he left the room.

"I thought he was going to come back to the room so I grabbed the blood and put it all over me," she said.

Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grade student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and survivor of the mass shooting appears on a screen during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022.  (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

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Cerrillo said she then remained quiet, took her teacher's phone, and called 911.

In the video, Cerrillo's father asked if there was anything she wanted now that this has happened, to which she replied, "To have security."

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Cerrillo's father appeared in person before the House committee to deliver brief remarks.

Miguel Cerrillo, father of Miah Cerrillo a fourth grade student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, wipes his eye as he testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

"Today I come because I could have lost my baby girl," Mr. Cerrillo said, observing that his daughter is "not the same" as she was before.

"She’s everything, not only for me but her siblings and her mother," he said. "I thank God for letting me be here and speak out, but I wish something will change. Not only for our kids but every single kid in the world because schools are not safe anymore. Something needs to really change."

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The Cerrillos' testimony was part of a hearing titled, "The Urgent Need to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic." Following the shooting in Uvalde and another in Buffalo, N.Y. less than two weeks earlier, lawmakers have debated how best to address the issue. 

Democrats recently introduced legislation known as the "Protecting Our Kids Act," includes measures such as raising the age limit for purchasing semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21, and banning "high capacity" magazines that hold more than ten rounds.