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North Texans grieved in the aftermath of gunfire that killed eight people and wounded seven others at an Allen mall — leaving the community to grapple with the second-deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year.
An injured mother lost two children. An injured child lost both parents and a sibling. Among the other victims were a security guard a relative called a “beautiful soul” and an engineer from India who found family in Frisco.
The shots rang out just after 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Allen Premium Outlets in the 800 block of West Stacy Road, near U.S. Highway 75. Seven people were pronounced dead on the scene including the gunman, who was shot by a police officer. Two others died at the hospital.
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Here’s what we know about the lives lost.
Christian LaCour, 20
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Christian LaCour, a Farmersville resident, was one of the eight people killed, a family member confirmed Sunday. He was 20.
The relative told that LaCour was “a sweet caring young man who was loved greatly by [their] family.”
LaCour was a security guard for the outlets, according to a statement from Allied Universal.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Christian LaCour, our security professional who was tragically killed while protecting the customers and employees of the Allen Premium Outlets,” the security company said
Multiple family members of LaCour posted tributes to him on social media.
“He was such a beautiful soul, 20 years old with goals for his future,” one Facebook post said. “I was so proud of him.”
“Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation that our family feels,” said another. “There will forever be a void.”
Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26
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Aishwarya Thatikonda was a project engineer from India. She was 26.
Ashok Kolla, treasurer of the Telugu Association of North America, spent Sunday identifying Thatikonda and is now working with her family to have her body brought back home. Kolla said he did not know Thatikonda, but that the Telugu Association of North America often helps families dealing with catastrophic events.
“The tough part here is communicating with the family because the child is here and the family is back in India,” Kolla said. “This has been a tough weekend. We’re really grieving.”
Kolla said he hopes the transportation of Thatikonda back to her family will be finalized in the next 36 to 48 hours.
Thatikonda worked in Frisco as a project engineer at Perfect General Contractors LLC beginning in late 2020. She worked as a manager at the construction company, spending most days in the office with only the company’s owner, Srinivas Chaluvadi.
Working together for eight hours a day, five days a week for more than two years, Thatikonda and Chaluvadi built a familial bond. Thatikonda fit right in between Chaluvadi’s kids, younger than his son and older than his daughter.
“She’s staying away from her parents, 11,000 miles away, so she found a fatherly figure in me and I found a daughter-like personality in her,” Chaluvadi said.
Their families came from similar backgrounds, Chaluvadi said, and the two engineers shared in traditions and festivals that they celebrated at work. Thatikonda came to Chalvadi’s daughter’s 16th birthday celebration shortly after starting with the company. She attended his daughter’s 18th birthday party in March.
Perfect General Contractors completed one of its projects this weekend, and the company planned to mark the occasion alongside Thatikonda’s birthday on May 18.
“We were planning some good things [for] her birthday,” Chaluvadi said. “We were planning a family dinner with her and my family.”
The food wouldn’t be fancy, Chalvadi said, just some rice and curries.
“Nothing fancy about it,” he said. “But the memory is fancy. The occasion is fancy.”
Chalvadi said he doesn’t plan to have the dinner now that Thatikonda is gone. The last time that he spoke with Thatikonda was around 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Chalvadi said.
Eastern Michigan University, where Thatikonda received her master’s degree in construction management, released a statement to students Monday on Thatikonda’s death.
“As the nation has to once again grapple with a senseless act of gun violence, we share our condolences with Aishwarya’s family and friends. She will forever be remembered as a strong Eastern Michigan University Eagle,” the statement said.
A man who was with Thatikonda at the time of the shooting was also injured. It was unclear what condition he was in as of Monday.
3 family members, 1 surviving child
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Cho Kyu Song, 37, Kang Shin Young, 35, and James, their 3-year-old son, were killed in the shooting.
A GoFundMe dedicated to Cho, his wife and two children — identified in the post as Kyu, Cindy, William and James — said William, the couple’s other son who celebrated his sixth birthday four days before the shooting, was injured but has been released from the ICU.
The fundraiser garnered more than $500,000 in five hours.
Myoung Joon Kim, head of the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Dallas, said his office has been in communication with the families of the victims who are of Korean descent.
Family members told the South Korean consulate in Dallas that the victims are U.S. citizens, he added.
“The Korean consulate joins the people of the Dallas-Fort Worth area to express our deepest condolences for the victims and their family members,” Kim said. “We pray for the victims and their family members for their healing and recovery.”
John Jun, a co-founder of the Korean American Coalition of Dallas-Fort Worth, said he first learned multiple victims of the mass shooting were of Korean descent through Korean-language news outlets. Jun also attends New Song Church in Carrollton.
“This is a horrific event, it just hits you in the heart when something like this happens close to home. Then having learned that four of the victims are Korean, it hits you even harder,” said Jun, who is also a Coppell City Council member.
“It’s devastating to think that they were simply out shopping and enjoying time together when their lives were taken from them,” one Facebook post about the family read. “This kind of violence has no place in our society, and we must come together to do everything we can to prevent it from happening again. May the Cho and Kang families find comfort and strength during this difficult time.”
Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano also released a video message Monday afternoon confirming the family was a part of the school community.
“We’re fortunate in the fact that we have several professionals that have been in the classroom with me today just to even visit with the students who are directly or indirectly impacted by this,” said Mike Goddard, superintendent of the Prestonwood Christian Academy School System.
2 elementary school students
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Among those killed were two Cox Elementary students — fourth-grader Daniela Mendoza and second-grader Sofia Mendoza. Daniela was 11. Sofia was 8.
Their mother, Ilda, was in critical condition Monday, according to an email from Wylie ISD Superintendent David Vinson.
“We love your babies, we love them so much,” Vinson wrote. “Our love for our kiddos and each other will get us through this. Daniela and Sofia will not be forgotten. Hug your kids, and tell them you love them.”
Cox Elementary School principal Krista Wilson said the plan is to not announce information at school so that parents can share the news with their children.
“Students may respond in many different ways to this news, even if they didn’t know Daniela and Sofia. Please let us know if you notice any changes in behavior or have concerns about how your child is responding to this situation,” Wilson said in an email.
Additional counselors and support staff will be at Cox Elementary on Monday and Tuesday and will continue to be available to students, staff and families.
A GoFundMe for the family had raised more than $41,000 as of 9:30 p.m. Monday.
“Please pray for our now broken family. The girls have left a void that nothing in the world could ever fill,” the GoFundMe page read.
Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Elio Cumana-Rivas was also killed in the shooting. He was 32.
No additional information about Cumana-Rivas was immediately available.