11-year-old Uvalde survivor testifies before Congress

A fourth-grade student who survived the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas testified before Congress on Wednesday as part of the House Oversight Committee's hearing on gun violence.
In a pre-recorded video played before the committee, 11-year-old Miah Cerrillo spoke of how she covered herself in her friend's blood to trick the shooter and watched as he told her teacher "good night and shot her in the head."
"And then he shot some of my classmates and the whiteboard," Cerillo continued, per the Texas Tribune.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The young girl said she did not feel safe in school and did "not want it to happen again." When asked if she thought a shooting like this would happen again, Cerrillo nodded yes.
Her father, Miguel Cerrillo, traveled to Washington to testify before lawmakers in person. "This is not our Miah. This is not our TikTok dancer. This is not our playful Miah, you know? This is not our Miah," he told The Washington Post shortly after his testimony. Miah was supposed to speak before the committee in person, but was then triggered by the thought of bright lights and camera noises.
The hearing also featured testimony from a number of other victims and survivors, including Felix and Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter Lexi was killed in the Uvalde shooting, and Zeneta Everhart, the mother of one of those wounded in the Buffalo supermarket shooting.
The House is set to vote on a gun control package late Wednesday.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Political cartoons for October 18
Cartoons Saturday's editorial cartoons include conversion therapy, Russ Vought, and more
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Crossword: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 years
Speed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
-
Man charged over LA’s deadly Palisades Fire
speed read 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested in connection with the fire that killed 12 people
-
4 dead in shooting, arson attack in Michigan church
Speed Read A gunman drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church where he shot at congregants and then set the building on fire
-
Colleges are being overwhelmed with active shooter hoaxes
In the Spotlight More than a dozen colleges have reported active shooter prank calls
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school mass
Speed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived