Recently the father of one of the victims,
McKenna L Rod Siler,
spoke exclusively to Cavus Darnisha Herron.
This the first time he spoken about
the pain of his daughter being killed
at Rob Elementary School back in May.
We're interrupting programming
for an update on the deadly coming
on the air because of an awful
scene playing out today in Texas.
It was a tragedy.
A lot of pain here,
and you've all day tomorrow.
The world outside of San Antonio.
Well, I'm still trying to couldn't
comprehend, understand the reasons
why things happen in a town so small
from the inside of our vehicle.
Everyone's affected you you could you
could feel the shock in the town we
can only imagine what it was like for
the parents of the
19 fourth graders and two
teachers slain in a mass shooting
the last week of class.
No summer school
or summer camp. Just a deserted
playground and a memorial for more
than two months later flowers,
teddy bears and crosses sit. And
love from strangers from across the
world. Pile up at Rob Elementary.
30 minutes away from you, valdy
in the Frio River, the
sounds of summer return and for one family,
precious memories rush in.
Eating popsicles for seven summers.
This is this is our spot.
Chris Siler's family visited majors campsite.
She ran around this whole area
right here like crazy. This year.
I can't walk by hardly any of this stuff
without his baby girl,
without having a memory of her,
especially in the water down there.
And she loved coming here
some of the happiest times.
She had, and some of her fondest
memories were spent right here.
10 year old McKenna was one of
the children killed on May 24th.
You know, after something like this you
find yourself staring at the wall and.
Your body aches.
I don't even feel like myself anymore.
I love my dad because he always
takes care of us, has stuff ready
for us and when I go to the house he
always makes my heart beat better.
I feel like something's changing.
She couldn't go anywhere
without making best friends,
and I know of 10 or 12 kids that though.
They were best friends.
We would text back and forth and.
It was I love you more.
No, I love you more.
No not possible and if I
didn't just quit texting,
we'd still be doing it right now.
That's how hard she loved
the 4th grader was just coming into her own.
She started playing softball this year
and reading the Bible just months ago
in the last month or two,
her favorite song became The Lion and
the Lamb and she played it everywhere
while Syler wasn't her biological father,
he helped Mckenna's mother raised her since
she was three, I couldn't leave them.
When he was working to get her and her
little brother's last name changed to Siler
when they got their baseball pictures.
I was there and they came and
gave me a one of the pictures
and asked Daddy next year can.
In this case, either instead
of Elrod and I said yeah,
absolutely I'm working on it.
We didn't. We didn't get there in time.
When I pick up my older daughters,
she would run outside and wrap
herself around my leg and.
It just got me. I had no idea
that one day I would be her dad.
Mckenna's aunts, Mandy and
Allison can hear her now.
She would sing along with him.
She was the first one in
front of the camera and she loved to dance.
As long as he was leading, she was happy.
When you're done, I'll
make you do it again. The
tune of their love forever flowing
like a river, but solid as a rock.
McKenna loved the paint,
River rocks so we all decided
we'd make one for her.
And and place it here
at the root of the tree she climbed as a
little girl up until her final months,
hopefully. Other people that camp
down here will will add to it
like Mckenna's tree. Her presence
is large and felt in many ways,
so she loved butterflies.
This tiger swallowtail.
Kept appearing. At first,
it appeared at the softball
fields when we went to honor her.
And then there was another one
trying to fly into my truck,
and that's when I that's when
I knew it had to be this.
Allison got a similar tattoo, not just
in honor of her niece. McKenna, you
might never were the best teachers.
Allison herself worked at Rob
Elementary, her two best friends
also taken from her on May 24th.
And I know that when when McKenna.
Into heaven, Miss Garcia's arms were
wrapped around her at the end and she was
in the arms of a mother who loved her.
There's another, greater gift.
My friend could do.
So we will honor them.
All 21. From mckinnis tree
in Concan back to you valdy.
Where murals honor who the victims
were and who they would have been.
So we're all hoping for some kind of change,
because it it shouldn't happen anywhere,
a reminder that change has to happen.
It's about protecting children and
keeping them safe so healing can begin.
And our town, our youth,
valdi strong family,
is going to change the world
as the toughest summer.
With you. Comes to an end.
I've seen this story so many times
and it just doesn't get easier to
watch to continue to honor McKenna,
Chris will hold an annual rodeo in April.
Around her birthday.
There he will also give a
scholarship to a you valdy student,
and if you want to donate,
the information is on our website at kw.com.
But guys, I think it's such
a great time to do this.
Story right now because as we know,
school is starting and the family says,
the chatter around what happened
and you Valdy is slowing down and
there hasn't been a lot of change
and they really want to see change
and want them to be remembered.
That was a beautiful, beautiful
testament to that little girl's life.
Absolutely. It's a tough story,
but it's like you say,
it's important to remember
as we begin the school year,
these poor kids and and their families.
Thanks, Danish.