Trey Ganem, who runs a custom casket business called SoulShina Industries, has taken it upon himself to reach out to the families of the children killed in the Uvalde shooting so he can make personalised caskets for each of the victims.

Ganem has been meeting the families of the kids so he can learn about their interests, likes, dislikes and hobbies to incorporate them into the casket designs such as superheroes, TikTok or dinosaurs.

"Being able to go to the homes is something that is very emotional for me. It is not a box anymore. It is a beautiful creation that represents the loved ones," Ganem said, according to CBS Mornings.

"When they're telling me that their son or daughter loved baseball or softball or TikTok, they light up because now they're remembering the good things and the fun times that they had when they were alive and here, and we incorporate all that into the caskets," he added.

His company has designed custom caskets for 19 of the 21 victims for free. Ganem and his 25-year-old son worked round the clock over the last four days to complete the caskets in time. They also had help from friends and neighbours who all came forward to help them.

"They squeeze me so hard and say it's perfect. I hope this helps the healing process," he said while speaking about the families of the victim.

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Twenty-one people, including 19 third and fourth grade students and two teachers, were killed in the May 24 shooting after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School with an AR-15 style rifle.

The US has witnessed more than 200 mass shootings so far in 2022. More than 17,000 people have lost their lives in gun-related incidents in the US over the past five months.

The Texas mass shooting is the latest in the United States, where firearms are involved in approximately 40,000 deaths a year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

Texas
Memorial for the victims of a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Reuters / VERONICA CARDENAS