Warning: contains upsetting content
An 11-year-old girl who survived the Uvalde school shooting gave testimony to Congress describing the moment she smeared her classmate's blood on herself to trick the shooter.
Miah Cerrillo appeared before members of Congress in a pre-recorded video played today (8 June), in which she recalled how one of her teachers received an email alert about an active shooter while her fourth-grade class watched a film in one of the school's classrooms.
Her teacher locked the door and told students to hide, but the gunman shot his way into the classroom, found the teacher and told her 'Goodnight' before shooting her, according to the young girl.
Hear Miah's testimony below.
“He shot her in the head,” Miah said in her testimony, “and then he shot some of my classmates and the whiteboard.”
Miah recalled how the shooter shot her friend who was hiding next to her, adding: "I thought he was gonna come back to the room so I grabbed blood and I put it all over me.”
The 11-year-old hoped the blood would make it look as though she was dead, and she remained quiet until she was able to get her teacher's phone and call 911.
She told the dispatcher they 'needed help', and encouraged them to 'send the police in our classroom'.
During the video, Miah shook her head when asked if she felt safe at school and said she wanted to 'have security' and that she doesn't want it 'to happen again'.
Miah's father, Miguel Cerrillo, has also given a brief testimony in which he claimed his daughter has changed since the shooting took place on 24 May.
He pleaded for some kind of change to help protect children in school, saying: "I came because I could’ve lost my baby girl. And she’s not the same little girl that I used to play with and run with and do everything, because she was Daddy’s little girl.
“I wish something would change. Not only for our kids, but every single kid in the world, because schools are not safe anymore.”
Miah and her father were among a number of survivors and parents of victims from both the Uvalde shooting and the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, New York to give testimony at the hearing, which took place amid ongoing discussions of new bipartisan gun legislation.
The Justice Department is also continuing to look into the police response to the Uvalde shooting as members of the public have raised questions about decisions the department made during the tragedy.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Featured Image Credit: ABC News
Emily Brown