Austin High School students honor alumna killed in El Paso Walmart shooting

EL PASO, Texas — One of the victims of the Aug. 3 shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart was honored and remembered at her alma mater during a memorial ceremony on Thursday.

Maribel Hernandez Loya, Austin High School class of 1980, and her husband were among the 22 people who were killed during one the city’s worst incidents of mass violence.

The students at Austin said they worked for months to put together a fitting memorial.

"It makes it feel like she's a lot more closer to us because she's an alumni," explained Austin student Izcalli Martinez. "Once a Panther always a Panther, as we say."

The ceremony, held in Austin High School’s Pit Gym, included a presentation of flowers and a plaque to the Hernandez Loya family.

"It was a wonderful, beautiful ceremony. I really, really loved it. It's probably one of the best ones that we have been to," said Maribel's brother Al Hernandez on behalf of her family.