Eight people were fatally shot after a gunman, who was later killed by police, opened fire at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, near Dallas, on Saturday.
While authorities have not publicly released the identities of the victims at this time, relatives, friends, and organizations have shared some information. Among the victims are a Korean American family, two young sisters, a security guard, and an engineer from India. The heartbreaking tragedy has left three children dead and another orphaned, NBC reported.
The mass shooting was the second deadliest in the U.S. this year and the second in Texas in just over a week.
Two parents and their three-year old son
Cho Kyu Song, 37, Kang Shin Young, 35, and James, their three-year-old son, were killed in the attack, the Korean consulate told the Dallas Morning News. The only surviving member of the Korean American family is the couple’s oldest child, William, who had just turned six and was injured in the shooting, states the GoFundMe page set up for the family.
“William just celebrated his 6th birthday 4 days prior and James is 3,” reads the page. “An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love and celebration unfortunately was cut short by another mass shooting massacre that left 8 victims dead.”
“The Korean consulate joins the people of Dallas-Forth Worth area to express our deepest condolences for the victims and their families,” Myoung-Joon Kim, head of the Korean consulate in Dallas, told the Dallas Morning News. “We pray for the victims and their family members for their healing and recovery.”
Sisters Daniela and Sofia Mendoza
Two elementary school students, fourth-grader Daniela Mendoza and second-grader Sofia Mendoza, were killed in the shooting, according to CBS News. Their mother, Ilda Mendoza, is in critical condition, an email from the Wylie school district superintendent, David Vinson, informed the Dallas Morning News.
“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.”
Christian LaCour, 20
Christian LaCour was a security guard for the outlets and one of the eight people killed, a family member confirmed to the Dallas Morning News Sunday. His grandmother, Sandra Montgomery, remembered her grandson in a public Facebook post following the tragedy.
“He was such a beautiful soul, 20-year-old with goals for his future,” she wrote. “I was so proud of him and so glad I got to see him two weeks ago.”
Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26
Aishwarya Thatikonda left Hyderabad, India, five years ago to study engineering in the U.S. She earned her master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2020, her LinkedIn profile stated.
The 26-year-old was a project engineer at Perfect General Contractors, a Dallas contracting firm. Her boss Srinivas Chaluvadi told NBC News that when he learned she didn’t show up at a work meeting scheduled at one of the firm’s projects, he became “fearful and panicked.”
Chaluvadi, who was from the same town in India as Thatikonda, said he considered her to be a second daughter. When he found out hours later that she had been killed, it was a “grief I’ve never experienced,” adding, “I pray that this situation doesn’t happen to anybody.”
He said he was planning to celebrate Thatikonda’s 27th birthday with a family dinner later this month.
This is a developing story.