UPDATED Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 2:40 p.m. CT
Authorities have identified all eight victims killed by a gunman who injured seven more in a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets Saturday afternoon.
Here's what we know about the deadly shooting so far.What happened
The Allen Police Department said an officer on an unrelated call heard gunshots at 3:36 p.m. Saturday.
Video of the incident reported by The Associated Press shows a man identified by police as Mauricio Garcia stepping out of a silver sedan and opening fire with an AR-15 style assault rifle aimed at people on the sidewalk.
Victor Ramirez was working at Italia Express in the mall with his son David when the shooting began. He described the chaos in the restaurant as about 50 people crouched to the ground.
Ramirez said he stood up from his hiding place in the kitchen when the shooting stopped, but a man he said was the gunman walked just past him.
"It was terrible, it was terrible, that experience," Ramirez said in Spanish. "I'll never forget it."
Seven people died at the scene, officials said, while two died at the hospital. Seven more were injured. As of May 15, four people are still being treated at the hospital, including Irvin Walker, whose daughter spoke out at a vigil for the victims of the shooting.
The gunman was killed by the responding officer.
The gunman
Records show 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia lived in northeast Dallas. The Associated Press reported Garcia’s posts on a Russian social media site suggested he was planning a mass shooting weeks before it happened, and photos show Garcia with Nazi tattoos including a swastika and the logo of Hitler's paramilitary forces.
On Tuesday, law enforcement officials with the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed the shooter had “neo-Nazi ideation.” But they stopped short of confirming that as a motive for the shooting.
They also confirmed eight weapons were found at the scene — three on Garcia’s person, and five in his car.
Heather J. Hagan, U.S. Army Public Affairs spokeswoman wrote in a statement Garcia joined the U.S. Army in June 2008 and was terminated three months later without finishing his initial entry training.
“He was not awarded a military occupational specialty," Hagan wrote. "He had no deployments or awards. We do not provide characterization of discharge for any soldier.”
However, NPR later learned Garcia was discharged for "designated physical or mental conditions."
MORE | Allen mall shooter was armed with 8 weapons and had 'neo-Nazi ideation,' DPS officials say
The victims
MORE | Family, friends remember those lost in Allen shooting
Christian LaCour
LaCour was a security guard who worked at the mall.
Texas DPS listed LaCour’s age as 23, but his family and other law enforcement identified him as being 20 years old.
Citaly Ramirez, daughter of Victor Ramirez, said she was frantically looking for her dad and brother after she heard the gunshots. She said she saw Christian, or "Chris," walking toward his watch station when he suddenly stopped, turned pale, then started running.
"We all hid, and then a few seconds later we heard bullets," Ramirez said, choking back tears. "And I kept hoping it wasn't him, but once everything calmed down and we got escorted, we had to pass by and I saw his body on the ground next to the shooter."
LaCour was kind, she said, and always cared about others' safety.
LaCour's mother declined to comment while the family was grieving.
LaCour's family hosted a celebration of life ceremony at Cottonwood Creek Church Monday, May 15 at 11 a.m. LaCour's mother encouraged attendees to wear jeans and a T-shirt showing off their favorite band, movie or other interests rather than black because those things brought her son joy.
"Christian was all about comfort and encouraging others to express their true selves," Tracye Norris LaCour wrote in a Facebook post.
Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26
Thatikonda worked as a civil engineer for Perfect General Contractors in Frisco.
Srinivas Chaluvadi, owner and president of the general contracting firm, said Thatikonda was hardworking and honest.
"Aishwarya would have turned 27 on 18th May, 2023," Chaluvadi wrote in a statement to KERA Monday. "We just completed a big project and were having plans to celebrate her birthday on 18th but destiny had different plans."
Thatikonda's parents live in India, Chaluvadi wrote, and he said she became part of his own family.
Kyu Song Cho, 37, Cindy Cho, 35 and James Cho, 3
A fundraiser page for the Cho family said Cindy and Kyu Song Cho were visiting the Allen mall with their sons when the parents and their 3-year-old James were killed.
The GoFundMe post says their 6-year-old son William has been released from the hospital and survives them all. A statement from the extended Cho family states William is "recovering well."
"All of our attention is now focused on ensuring William leads a happy, healthy life with his extended family who love him dearly," the statement reads. "We ask that you respect and honor our family’s privacy in the coming days and weeks so that we may mourn and honor our loved ones’ legacies and lives."
Daniela Mendoza, 11, and Sofia Mendoza, 8
In a letter from the Wylie Independent School District, school leaders confirmed fourth grader Daniela and second grader Sofia were both students at Cox Elementary.
Counselors said this was the first time criminal violence killed any of their students, but they've been working with children since the news broke to teach them how to grieve, process and heal from the death of their peers.
Their mother, Ilda, was injured in the shooting but has since been released from Medical City McKinney. In a statement obtained by WFAA, Ilda Mendoza and her husband Alex Mendoza wrote they were grateful for the community's support as they dealt with the "unimaginable loss" of their daughters.
"Sofia and Daniela were our entire world," the statement reads. "They were incredibly loved since we knew of their existence. The only thing that gives our grieving hearts peace is that we know one day we will be together again."
The parents also thanked Medical City staff, first responders and Wylie ISD.
The community will host a vigil in honor of the girls at 6:30 p.m. May 16 at The Cross Church in Wylie.
Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, of Dallas.
Cumana-Rivas was the final victim to be identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety Monday.
A community in mourning
Community members hosted a vigil for the victims of the shooting Sunday night. Throughout the day May 8, people visited the victims' memorial at the entrance of the mall to pay their respects with flowers, stuffed animals and heartfelt messages.
The Allen Fire Department along with the help of volunteers began taking down the memorial at 10 a.m. May 16. The City of Allen tweeted caretakers of the memorial have spent hours each day maintaining it, but it's now time to "begin the next step of their work" and bring those tokens of support to the victims' loved ones.
"Our community will never forget the eight precious people lost on May 6, and will continue to find ways to honor their lives and legacies," one tweet reads.
For residents like Ryan Riyad of nearby Fairview, the outlet mall was a common shopping destination, a place he and his family went for sometimes no reason other than to hang out. He said he was leaving the mall Saturday as he heard the gunshots.
"But I thought, you know, it's probably construction work, something, or a tire burst or something," Riyad said. "I never thought in the wildest dream until my wife texted me like, 'Did you know what happened to Allen Outlet Mall?'"
That's why Riyad said he volunteered May 8 to decorate the memorial with dozens of other community members. Crosses big and small lined the grass beside American Eagle.
It could have been him or his family involved in Saturday's shooting, Riyad said. It frustrated him that the mass gun violence he saw on the news had finally hit his hometown.
"I don't think we're going to solve this issue," Riyad said. "I have no hope, but I refuse to also live a life with the fear. So I just kind of go back to our normal life and hope and pray it's not going to happen again."
Resources
The FBI's Victim Services team will open a Family Assistance Center at the Allen Senior Recreation Center for community members needing mental and spiritual support services or to collect following the shooting. The center will be open on Thursday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, May 12 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Other community resources include:
- American Red Cross
- LifePath Systems
- Salvation Army
- Allen Police Department
- Department of Public Safety, Victim Services
- Texas Office of the Attorney General, Crime Victim Compensation Program
- Collin County Child Advocacy Center (to assist with childcare for those visiting the Family Assistance Center)
- Grace to Heal Counseling
- Uplift Counseling Services
- Grief and Loss Center
- Harold G Murphy Center
KERA’s Katherine Hobbs, Caroline Love and Bill Zeeble contributed to this report.
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on Twitter @tosibamowo.
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