One of the seven victims in Saturday’s mass shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas was Mary Granados, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier near the end of her shift. At the time she was killed, the 29-year-old was on the phone with her twin sister, Rosie. Garandos’ mail vehicle was hijacked by the gunman during the shooting.
This is Mary Granados. She had been working for the US postal service for less than a year.
Mary was on the phone with her twin sister, Rosie, when the #Odessa gunman ambushed and killed her.
Mary enjoyed traveling w/ her boyfriend and time with family. #MidlandOdessaShooting pic.twitter.com/HG6NFTO8La
— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) September 1, 2019
“It was very painful. I just wanted to help her, and I couldn’t. I thought she had got bitten by a dog or something,” Rosie told CNN through tears. “I tried calling her name and she wouldn’t answer.”
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Rosie said she knew Granados’ route, so she searched for her sister. In 15 minutes, she found her and saw police already there.
“She was laying on the floor when I got there. She was already gone,” Rosie told CNN. “I just wanted to run to her and hug her … kiss her.”
Rosie said her family is “broken” and “suffering.” She described her sister as “very friendly” and “always smiling.” Her sister also has cats who have been calling for her.
The sisters moved from Juarez, Mexico to Odessa when they were 14. Rosie said Grandos was working for the USPS for a year. Granados loved traveling with her boyfriend and being with her family. She was not feeling well Saturday and was almost finished with her shift at the time of her death.
“It’s hard for me because she’s my twin,” Rosie said, adding the two were “like one” and now a part of her is missing.
“I wish I could have it back, but I just can’t,” Rosie said.
Grandanos’ co-workers and friends established a GoFundMe page to her her family. More than 1,000 donors have helped raise over $40,000, more than double the original goal.
“I had the privilege to work with Mary in the past. She was beautiful inside and out, with a great heart and always ready to be a friend, always had a smile on her face,” Leslie Aide Chen, a family friend and co-worker, wrote. “Keep her family in your prayers.”
According to CNN, at least two other victims have been identified. Kameron Brown, who served in the Army in Afghanistan, was killed. He worked for Standard Safety & Supply.
“We are deeply saddened at the loss of a member of our team. Kameron Brown died tragically as a victim of the senseless and horrifying shootings that occurred in and around Odessa on Saturday. We have been in contact with Kameron’s family to offer our deepest sympathies and support,” his employer said in a statement. “We ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this most difficult time.”
Rodolfo “Rudy” Arco was killed while driving home from work, his family said.
The gunman wounded 22 others, including a 17-month-old child. The gunman was identified as Seth Ator, 36, and was killed by police in a shootout.
Photo credit: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images
