Authorities have identified all eight victims killed by a gunman who injured seven more in a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets Saturday afternoon.
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 Monday, six patients were being treated at hospitals across the state — three at Medical McKinney, one at Medical City Plano and one at Medical City Children's Hospital — with their conditions ranging from good to critical.
The gunman
Records show Mauricio Garcia lived in northeast Dallas.
The Associated Press reported that 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.
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."
The victims
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.
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 has been released from the hospital and survives them all. The fundraiser has raised nearly a million dollars in a matter of hours.
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. Wylie ISD confirmed their mother, Ilda, was still in critical condition.
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 Monday, people visited the victims' memorial at the entrance of the mall to pay their respects with flowers, stuffed animals and heartfelt messages.
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 Monday 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
Allen officials say the city will offer mental health and spiritual care for the community at the Allen Senior Recreation Center on St. Mary Drive until Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Other agencies offering their services 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)
KERA’s Katherine Hobbs and Caroline Love 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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