Friends, family, and loved ones gathered at New Song Church in Carrollton on Thursday to honor the lives and memory of three members of the Cho family who died during the mass shooting in Allen last week.
Kyu and Cindy Cho, along with their children, 3-year-old James and 6-year-old William, were enjoying a family outing at the Allen Premium Outlets shopping center on May 6 when a gunman indiscriminately opened fire on the shoppers. Eight individuals were killed in the shooting spree, including three members of the Cho family.
William Cho, who was struck and injured in the gunfire, was the only member of his immediate family to survive the attack. He was released from the hospital on Thursday. The child’s extended family released a statement that said he was “at home and continuing to do well.”
Although the Chos’ funeral service was closed to the public and the media, hundreds of people were still in attendance, reflecting the Cho family’s impact on the local community.
The community members can pay their respects to the Cho family at a memorial inside the Korean Cultural Center through Saturday, according to the Korean Society of Dallas.
Dr. Mike Goddard, the superintendent of Prestonwood Christian Academy, where William is a student, and Senior Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church released a video after the mass shooting, promising to “keep loving and serving this family.”
“We are certainly heartbroken over the news of the shooting in Allen, Texas,” said Goddard, “One of the things that’s very powerful about having a connection to God and school is that we are very family oriented. We rely on God during times like this… to figure out how to make sense of the senseless.”
“We’re together in this,” said Graham. “This wonderful sweet family, three of the four now in heaven and a child left behind, needs the ministry and the care of Christian people, and our entire community needs this well. “
“The church is made for a time like this; Christians are made for moments like these. So, we can show the love of Christ and be there for people… to be present in people’s lives,” Graham said.Â
A GoFundMe page was set up for the Cho family following the shooting, and in less than a week, more than $1.8 million in donations had been contributed.
On Thursday, William’s extended family posted a message on the funding site expressing appreciation for the support and asking the public to focus on helping the other victims of the Allen Premium Outlet shooting.
“At this point, we are going to close this fundraiser to new donations,” the family said. “But if anyone wishes to continue their support, we strongly urge you to consider donating to the GoFundMe pages of the other families affected by this tragedy.”
The service for the Cho family on Thursday was the first funeral for victims of the Allen shooting. Services for other victims are likely in the coming days.
