SAN ANTONIO — Walmart officials say they have removed a shirt reading "Where the heck is Uvalde, Texas" from the store's rack after it was called out by the father of a boy killed in the 2022 attack on Robb Elementary earlier this month.
Brett Cross – whose son, Uziyah Garcia, was one of 19 students killed by a gunman on May 24, 2022 – said in an X post dated April 4 that the shirt was found "at our Walmart here" in Uvalde. It went viral, having been shared nearly 700 times while amassing more than 400 comments blasting the shirt for being insensitive in the aftermath of the school shooting tragedy that thrust the community into the national spotlight.
Some users called the attire "disrespectful" while calling on Walmart to "stop selling those shirts immediately."
"Our stores have always been central to the communities they serve, and our store managers have the ability to purchase merchandise that is locally relevant," a corporate spokesperson for Walmart said in a statement to KENS 5 this week. "Though well intended, we apologize for any distress this item has caused. The store immediately removed the item once we learned that it was perceived negatively by some customers."
Cross has been one of the most vocal advocates for change in the aftermath of the 2022 tragedy, having conducted multiple "sits-outs" while calling for accountability on the part of law enforcement who responded to Robb Elementary.
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