美国国家公共电台 NPR--A Texas arena for concerts and rodeos is transformed into a gathering for grief

A Texas arena¹ for concerts and rodeos is transformed into a gathering² for grief

Transcript³

A vigil was held in Uvalde for the people killed in Tuesday's shooting at an elementary school. Officials continue to probe for a motive⁴ from a gunman who killed 21 people in one school classroom.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The last day of classes at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, were scheduled for today. Instead, it's a morning for quiet and for questions. Investigators⁵ are trying to learn more about Tuesday's mass shooting, and residents are remembering the dead. NPR's Ashley Lopez and my co-host A Martinez join us now from Texas. Guys, doesn't feel like it, but I'm going to say it. Good morning to you both.

ASHLEY LOPEZ, BYLINE⁶: Yeah, good morning.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: Ashley, let's start with you and with the investigation⁷. Who was the shooter?

LOPEZ: So the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was a high school dropout⁸ who had recently moved in with his grandmother in Uvalde. Reportedly, authorities haven't been able to find a criminal record for him. There's also no known mental health record either, even though state officials during a press conference yesterday blamed the bulk of what happened on mental health crisis in that part of the state. We also know that the gunman purchased a semiautomatic rifle, an AR-15, at a local sporting goods store on May 17. The next day, he bought 375 rounds of ammunition¹⁰ for that rifle. And then on May 20, he purchased another semiautomatic rifle.

INSKEEP: I'll just note it's May 26, so this is within the last couple of weeks that he made these purchases. What did he then do?

LOPEZ: Well, this is still preliminary information, but what we now know is that earlier that day, the gunman shot his 66-year-old grandmother in the face and then used her car to flee to Robb Elementary, where he apparently¹¹ crashed the truck he was driving outside the school. Governor Greg Abbott says the grandmother, after being shot, called law enforcement. The gunman eventually ran into the school, and officers on campus approached him. He was able to get away and then enter a classroom that was connected to another classroom, actually. That is where law enforcement said almost all of the killings¹² happened. Eventually, Border Patrol made it onto the scene and shot and killed the gunman.

INSKEEP: I can just picture the two connected rooms. My kids, I believe, at some point have been in those kinds of connected rooms. You can just imagine it all happening there, as I imagine parents and neighbors and friends now have to imagine this. And, A, I gather you were at a vigil last night in Uvalde. What was it like?

MART?NEZ: There are hundreds of people just crowded into an arena that's usually used for all kinds of fun things - rodeos, quinceaneras and even concerts.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MART?NEZ: And last night it became a sanctuary¹³ for the pain and the grief this very small, close-knit town is enduring. Chloe Pedrosa (ph) is just 19 years old.

CHLOE PEDROSA: I don't know. I'm still kind of in shock, like, processing and that sort of thing. So I don't know. It's just - it's horrible. It's indescribable.

MART?NEZ: These neighbors who have been suffering came together to hear words of comfort.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MINISTER #1: We want to express our most sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones. And we want you to know that we remember you each and every day. (Speaking Spanish).

UNIDENTIFIED MINISTER #2: For those who've lost little children, pray for them. Pray for the little children that saw what happened to their friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MINISTER #3: Father, we pray for the city, for all our children who've been impacted. We pray, Father, in Jesus's mighty¹⁴ name.

MART?NEZ: There were ministers from three local churches speaking to the overflow¹⁵ crowd that included local community leaders, along with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Senator Ted⁹ Cruz.

INSKEEP: Who were some of the people that you met?

MART?NEZ: But one of them was Leah Wrench¹⁶ (ph). I met her near the exits after the service ended. A teenage girl was walking out crying, and I saw Leah make a beeline to her. She held her head in her hands and then hugged her for well over a minute without saying a word. And it didn't even look like they knew each other, but in that moment, that didn't really matter.

LEAH WRENCH: That's what we do here in Uvalde. We hug, and we love.

MART?NEZ: Why did you come tonight?

WRENCH: It's a tight-knit community. We're small. And I have a grandson that goes to school in Uvalde. He was not at that campus, so - just need to be here.

MART?NEZ: When you found out what happened that day, what was the first thing that ran through your head and heart?

WRENCH: You just pray. Just pray.

MART?NEZ: There's all kinds of debate about what this day, what that day means with gun laws and politics. What do you want to hear from our leaders on something like that in relation to this and what happened here?

WRENCH: I don't want hear anything about that. It's not about that. It's about these babies.

MART?NEZ: And we also spoke¹⁷ with a former deputy sheriff, Ben Jacklin (ph). He agrees with Leah. He says it's not just about guns.

BEN JACKLIN: It's about a hurting kid that didn't have the relationships and the connections that he needed. That's what I think the problem is, and that's a tough one to solve. It's easy to pass a law, but it's hard to change a heart.

MART?NEZ: You think the focus is on the wrong place because gun control, gun ownership is what everyone is talking about, and it's what D.C. is debating all the time?

JACKLIN: I don't know if it's because that's maybe easier to respond to than the moral issues, those deep community fibers¹⁸ that have to be rebuilt somehow. That's hard work. And I think a community like this that's smaller and closer knit together has a chance at doing that work.

MART?NEZ: And Steve, I've never covered anything like this before. I mean, the grief of the residents of Uvalde was just jarring. It was overwhelming. And it was really impossible not to just feel how vulnerable and violated this community is right now. I was shaken as I was leaving the arena.

INSKEEP: You're doing an unusual thing here, A, because I gather that this shooting happened and you got on a plane. What is it like to arrive in this town, Uvalde, that is normally off the national radar¹⁹ and just walk around?

MART?NEZ: Yeah. It's a small town like any other small town. If you take a second to look around while you're driving through it, though, you're going to see a grassy²⁰ town square. It's surrounded by historic houses, beautiful homes. And right now, though, the town is overrun by a crush of media. Right around Robb Elementary School, there are so many TV trucks and satellite dishes, it felt like we were kind of just traipsing through a densely²¹ packed jungle of tents, of cameras, cables, makeshift workstations, people all around. We couldn't even see the school until we were right on top of it. And the people who live there in that area have really temporarily lost their own neighborhood.

INSKEEP: Can I ask one other thing? There's been a lot of anger about this shooting, certainly in the social media discussion, in the media discussion, in conversations that I've had. In what you've played, I don't hear as much anger. I hear sorrow. I hear grieving. I hear different emotions, maybe not directly anger. Is that how you felt about it?

MART?NEZ: Yeah, because I think that anger is going to come later for these people once everyone leaves and when they can work this out on their own. But right now, it's just all sadness and supporting each other as a community.

INSKEEP: OK. NPR's A Martinez and Ashley Lopez in Texas, thanks to you both.

LOPEZ: Thank you.

MART?NEZ: Sure, Steve.

1 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

9 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

10 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

13 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

14 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

15 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

16 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

19 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

20 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

21 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。