Uvalde funerals begin this week as mourning in Texas town continues

Funerals will be held this week for 11 of the 19 school children recently killed in the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

The first two students, 10-year-olds Amerie Jo Garza and Maite Rodriguez, were laid to rest Monday.

Services for the students and two teachers killed Tuesday at Ross Elementary School are expected to last over roughly two-and-a-half weeks.

Mourners at Amerie's service wore purple, the young girl's favorite color, at the request of her father. Maite's family members wore green tie-dye shirts featuring an illustration of the boy with angel wings, according to the Associated Press.

A funeral service also will be held this week for teacher Irma Garcia. Funeral directors and embalmers from across the state arrived in Uvalde to provide assistance where they can. 

As family and friends mourn their lost loved ones, investigators will continue to seek answers about how police responded to the May 24 active shooter incident.

On Friday, officials revealed that students and teachers pleaded with 911 operators for help as a police commander told a squad of officers to wait in the hallway. The gunman was eventually killed by an off-duty Border Patrol tactical agent.