BTS Mural Dedicated To Uvalde Shooting Victim: 'I Felt Her Spirit With Us'

Houston is now home to a beautiful BTS mural that has been dedicated to Uvalde shooting victim Amerie Jo Garza.

Ten-year-old Amerie is remembered as a hero in the May 24 attack at Robb Elementary School for calling 911 to help her classmates and teachers, according to Chron. Her mother, Kimberly Garcia, said her dream was to become an art teacher. "Art was her passion. Clay was her favorite. Her favorite color was Lavender, she loved sunflowers, Vanilla bean frappe from Starbucks was her favorite drink. BTS was her favorite band, and she was a Girl Scout💜," Garcia shared on Twitter.

Amerie's love for BTS will live on in the form of a colorful mural outside Ninja Ramen on Washington Avenue. The mural features the seven members of the South Korean boy band smiling in front of the Houston skyline. Amerie's name is written above the BTS logo in the center of the mural, which was painted by local artists Rachel Gonzales and Caroline Truong. Also featured in the mural are the names of other BTS Army members who helped contribute to its creation, Chron reported.

On Instagram, Gonzales said the mural is "Dedicated to our ARMY sister Amerie Jo Garza 💜."

Garcia commented on the Instagram post and expressed her gratitude for the beautiful mural. "Thank you for this, thank you for dedicating this to my daughter. She was such a huge fan of BTS. She's smiling seeing this💜." Gonzales replied, "Wow thank you so much —it’s truly a blessing to hear from you and her family and friends! 💜 We held a moment of silence for Amerie and her classmates and teachers at the mural reveal on BTS’ 9th Anniversary, and I felt her spirit with us — she’s very much alive in our hearts 💕 We purple her so much 💜🌈✨"

Truong opened up to Chron about the dedication to Amerie. "As a mom, I was shook by the tragedy of another mass shooting. I wanted to honor her in this way because I felt like as an artist, that's how I can share a piece of history and make people aware of what's going on in the world — by painting," she said.

Gonzales also shared a similar sentiment. "When I heard about Amerie Jo, it just wrecked me. I was crying every morning about it. I saw a lot of my own spirit in her. She was born May 10, I was born May 12, and she wanted to be an art teacher. She was also protective of her friends against bullies, always wanted to help people. I felt like I lost a child I didn't even have," she said.