2023-05-09 04:58:17
Two little elementary school sisters, a couple and their 3-year-old son, a young engineer and a security guard were among those killed by a gunman at a shopping mall near Dallas on Saturday, representing a cross-cultural cross section. of the increasingly diverse suburbs in the area.
Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, who were in second and fourth grades at Cox Elementary School, were two of the victims at the Allen Premium Outlets shopping center, according to Wylie Independent School District officials. They were remembered for being “the kindest and most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room,” principal Krista Wilson said in a letter to her parents.
SEE MORE Mass shooting at Allen mall leaves multiple dead, injured
The United States has suffered at least 199 mass shootings so far this year.
In the huge outdoor mall Three members of a Korean-American family also died: a couple and one of their children., who was 3 years old. Another son was injured and remains hospitalized, said Myoung-Joon Kim, chief of mission at the South Korean consulate in Dallas. The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the parents as Kyu Song Cho, 37, and Cindy Cho, 35.
Andria Gaither, an assistant manager at the mall’s Tommy Hilfiger store, said she was devastated to learn that one of the victims was Christian LaCour, a 20-year-old security guard who previously worked at the store and often stopped by to chat.
Just a few nights before, Gaither had called LaCour when a customer wanted to enter the store after closing time. LaCour introduced herself and asked the man to leave the premises, then offered to escort her and hers two teenage employees of hers.
“He wanted us to feel safe,” Gaither stated.
“I’m just shocked,” she added. “She was very young, very sweet, she came to visit us all the time.”
Another victim was Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26, originally from India, who had a degree in construction management and worked as a civil engineer for Perfect General Contractors, a company in the Dallas metropolitan area.
“I was always prepared to do my best,” Srinivas Chaluvadi, the company’s founder, said in an email.
He added that his parents live in Hyderabad, India, where his father is a judge.
“He came to the United States with the dream of having a career, building a family, owning a home and living forever in Dallas,” Chaluvadi added.
Chaluvadi noted that Thatikonda was turning 27 next week and had become almost a member of the family. “He would go to birthday parties at my house, we would celebrate the holidays together and have family dinners.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified the eighth victim as 32-year-old Elio Cumana Rivas.
Authorities are still trying to determine what prompted the attack, which ended when the assailant, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, was shot to death by police.
Federal officials are investigating whether Garcia expressed interest in white supremacism, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official warned that the investigation is in its early stages..
Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts they believe Garcia used, as well as posts expressing interest in neo-Nazi and white supremacist positions, said the official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the investigation.
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