Maria Cruz.Photo:GoFundMe
GoFundMe
A Florida middle school math teacher was shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide, the Miami-Dade Police Department tells PEOPLE.
The shooting occurred Friday afternoon in Palmetto Bay, an unincorporated community in Miami-Dade County, police say. Officers responded to reports of a shooting at a home on SW 165 Terrace and found a man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as well as a woman and a different man suffering from gunshot wounds. The woman was identified as Maria Cruz, 51, and the deceased male was identified as her husband, according to police.
Police say Cruz and the injured man were taken to the hospital, where she died from her injuries. The other victim is in critical condition. Another woman, police say, was in the home at the time of the shooting but was not injured.
Cruz taught algebra, geometry and Spanish at Doral Academy K-8 Charter, according to herclass pageon the school’s website.
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The school started aGoFundMeto raise money for her two daughters.
“Please join our school community as we grieve the tragic loss of Ms. Maria Cruz, a beloved teacher who showed unwavering love and dedication to our Doral Academy and Just Arts and Management students for nearly a decade,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote.
So far, the GoFundMe has raised over $32,000 since it was posted three days ago.
NBC Miamireported a statement from Doral Academy Principal Eleonora Cuesta, who memorialized Cruz.
“Her compassion, commitment, and love for her students have left an indelible mark on us all,” said Cuesta in the reported statement. “In these difficult times, our thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with her daughters.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
