Families of the murder victims killed in last Saturday’s mass shooting in Allen have started to confirm the identities of the loved ones they lost.
The first victim identified was Christian LaCour of Farmersville, whose grandmother posted on Facebook on Sunday:
“My beautiful grandson, Christian LaCour, was the security guard killed in the shooting at Allen Texas. He was such a beautiful soul, 20 years old with goals for his future I was so proud of him and so glad I got to see him 2 weeks ago. Please pray for my family.”
LaCour worked for the private security company Allied Universal. The company’s CEO, Steve Jones, sent a message to his employees on Sunday:
“Yesterday, we lost one of our own during a mass shooting in Allen, Texas. Our security professional was tragically killed while protecting the customers and employees of the Allen Premium Outlets.”
The second victim identified was Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27, an Indian national that had been living in the United States for the last five years. She got her Master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and was working for a local company as a project engineer, according to The Indian Express.
“We express our deep condolences to the family of Ms. Aishwarya Thatikonda who died in the tragic shooting incident in Allen, Texas on May 6. We are in touch with the family of the deceased as well as the local authorities. Our officers are on the ground to render all possible assistance,” tweeted the Indian consulate in Houston.
Tragically, three members of the same family were killed in the deadly attack: husband and wife Kyu and Cindy Cho and their 3-year-old son James. Their other son, William, 6, was wounded by the gunman.
A verified GoFundMe campaign to support the family stated:
“William just celebrated his 6th birthday 4 days prior and James is 3. 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. Cindy, Kyu and three year old James were among those victims that tragically lost their lives and the family is in deep mourning. After being released from the ICU, their six year old son William is the only surviving member of this horrific event.”
Two other children, sisters Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, were also killed in the shooting. They attended elementary school in the Wylie Independent School District. Their mother, Ilda, is currently hospitalized in critical condition.
“Words cannot express the sadness we feel as we grieve the loss of our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims, and all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” said the district in a statement to Fox 4.
The final murder victim was identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday afternoon.
He was 32-year-old Elio Cumana-Rivas, a Dallas resident, KLTV reported. Additional details regarding Cumana-Rivas were not immediately available by press time.
In addition to those killed, several others were wounded in the incident. At least four of them are still hospitalized in various Medical City hospitals.
“Our emergency, trauma, surgical, ICU and nursing teams responded to this tragic event with speed, skill and tremendous compassion for the patients, their families and each other. We are privileged to work alongside and stand with the first responders, victims, their loved ones and the North Texas community at this time,” Medical City said in a statement, NBC 5 reported.
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