THE mom of a nine-year-old girl killed during a robbery has spoken of her devastation and said she "didn't scream loud enough" to save her daughter.
Arlene Alvarez was shot on Monday in Texas when police say a man who had just been robbed at gunpoint opened fire to stop his attacker.
Tony Earls, 41, shot at the car containing the youngster and her family, police said.
Arlene's devastated mom Gwen told a press conference she had told her daughter to "duck down."
She added: "I didn't scream loud enough.
"I didn't know she had her headphones on."
The family had been on their way to get pizza for Valentine's Day when gunfire broke out.
They had gone to a nearby Chase bank to make a deposit beforehand.
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Arlene's dad Armando said: "I told everybody to get down.
"Arlene was the only one who didn't get down. She had her headphones in."
Gwen added: "This year she was so excited to turn 10.
"We were preparing to take her photoshoots and buy her gowns. Now I'm getting ready for her funeral."
On Monday, Earls and his wife were at the ATM when another man walked up to their vehicle and robbed them at gunpoint, Executive Assistant Police Chief Matt said.
As the suspect fled on foot, Earls got out of his vehicle and opened fire, including at a pickup truck he thought the robbery suspect had climbed into, police said.
But the truck carrying a family of five was not involved and had been “simply driving” down a street near the ATM, Slinkard said.
Alvarez said he was driving his family to Arlene’s favorite restaurant when the shooting happened.
He said his instinct was to drive faster when he heard the shooting start, to get away from the scene.
“As soon as I speed up, what are you doing? You are already coming next to him. You’re going toward the guy shooting.
"So I guess when I speed up, he thought I was with that guy,” Alvarez said.
Earls, who later called police to report the robbery, told authorities he did not know his gunfire had hit the truck.
Police were searching for the robbery suspect. They have not determined if that man returned fire or was shot.
Earls was on Tuesday charged with aggravated assault, serious bodily injury, in the shooting, police announced.
He was being held in the Harris County Jail on a $30,000 bond.
Arlene’s death was announced shortly after police said Earls had been charged.
Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors will look at possibly upgrading charges against Earls.
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