Six days have passed since a gunman opened fire at an Allen mall, killing eight people and wounding seven — leaving the community to grapple with the second-deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year.
An injured mother lost two children. An injured child lost both parents and a sibling. Among the other victims were a security guard a relative called a “beautiful soul” and an engineer from India who found family in Frisco.
A memorial has grown outside the sprawling open-air outlet mall with rows of flowers, balloons and stuffed animals along with signs that read “pray for Allen” and “show Allen love.”
Eight large black crosses stand at the memorial, with each of the deceased’s names written across in white. In front, smaller white crosses with blue hearts are filled with messages for each of the people who lost their lives. Community members have held candlelight vigils at the site.
A day after the shooting Saturday, a little more than 2,000 people came to Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church for an evening prayer service, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Angela Paxton. Some services were held at churches Wednesday to pray for the victims and the community.
Medical City Healthcare said Thursday that five of the seven people who were wounded are still being treated, but added their conditions have continued to improve. The hospital said three patients are in fair condition and two are now listed in good condition.
As of Thursday, four of the wounded have been identified as William Cho, 6, Sreyas Dadi, 26, Ilda Mendoza, and Irvin Walker II.
Here’s what we know about the lives lost:
Christian LaCour, 20
Christian LaCour, a Farmersville resident, was one of the eight people killed, a family member confirmed Sunday. He was 20.
The relative told The Dallas Morning News that LaCour was “a sweet caring young man who was loved greatly by [their] family.”
LaCour was a security guard for the outlets, according to a statement from Allied Universal.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Christian LaCour, our security professional who was tragically killed while protecting the customers and employees of the Allen Premium Outlets,” the security company said.
Multiple family members of LaCour posted tributes to him on social media. A celebration of his life is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church in Allen.
“He was such a beautiful soul, 20 years old with goals for his future,” one Facebook post said. “I was so proud of him.”
“Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation that our family feels,” said another. “There will forever be a void.”
Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26
Aishwarya Thatikonda was a project engineer from India. She was 26.
Ashok Kolla, treasurer of the Telugu Association of North America, spent Sunday identifying Thatikonda and is now working with her family to have her body brought back home. Kolla said he did not know Thatikonda, but that the Telugu Association of North America often helps families dealing with catastrophic events.
“The tough part here is communicating with the family because the child is here and the family is back in India,” Kolla said. “This has been a tough weekend. We’re really grieving.”
Kolla said the Consulate General of India in Houston opened the office at 11 p.m. on Monday to help expedite paperwork so Thatikonda’s body can be returned to her family. Thatikonda’s remains will be on a flight to India shortly after noon on Tuesday, said Kolla, who got back to Dallas around 4 a.m.
Thatikonda worked in Frisco as a project engineer at Perfect General Contractors LLC beginning in late 2020. She worked as a manager at the construction company, spending most days in the office with only the company’s owner, Srinivas Chaluvadi.
Working together for eight hours a day, five days a week for more than two years, Thatikonda and Chaluvadi built a familial bond. Thatikonda fit right in between Chaluvadi’s kids, younger than his son and older than his daughter.
“She’s staying away from her parents, 11,000 miles away, so she found a fatherly figure in me and I found a daughter-like personality in her,” Chaluvadi said.
Their families came from similar backgrounds, Chaluvadi said, and the two engineers shared in traditions and festivals that they celebrated at work. Thatikonda came to Chaluvadi’s daughter’s 16th birthday celebration shortly after starting with the company. She attended his daughter’s 18th birthday party in March.
Perfect General Contractors completed one of its projects this weekend, and the company planned to mark the occasion alongside Thatikonda’s birthday on May 18.
“We were planning some good things [for] her birthday,” Chaluvadi said. “We were planning a family dinner with her and my family.”
The food wouldn’t be fancy, Chaluvadi said, just some rice and curries.
“Nothing fancy about it,” he said. “But the memory is fancy. The occasion is fancy.”
Chaluvadi said he doesn’t plan to have the dinner now that Thatikonda is gone. The last time that he spoke with Thatikonda was around 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Chaluvadi said.
Eastern Michigan University, where Thatikonda received her master’s degree in construction management, released a statement to students Monday on Thatikonda’s death.
“As the nation has to once again grapple with a senseless act of gun violence, we share our condolences with Aishwarya’s family and friends. She will forever be remembered as a strong Eastern Michigan University Eagle,” the statement said.
A man who was with Thatikonda at the time of the shooting was also injured. It was unclear what condition he was in as of Monday.
Several messages were left on a cross for Thatikonda at the outlet mall, including “the Indian community is devastated for your loss.”
Another message was also written several times: “om shanti om,” a prayer for peace. Her body is being transported to India for her burial.
3 family members, 1 surviving child
Cho Kyu Song, 37, Kang Shin Young, 35, and James, their 3-year-old son, were killed in the shooting.
A GoFundMe dedicated to Cho, his wife and two children — identified in the post as Kyu, Cindy, William and James — said William, the couple’s other son who celebrated his sixth birthday four days before the shooting, was hospitalized. He has since returned home to be cared for by family.
The fundraiser raised more than $1.8 million.
“We are deeply grateful and sincerely appreciate the outpouring of support and prayers,” his family said in a written statement. “All of our attention is now focused on ensuring William leads a happy, healthy life with his extended family who love him dearly.”
Myoung Joon Kim, head of the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Dallas, said his office has been in communication with the families of the victims who are of Korean descent.
Family members told the South Korean consulate in Dallas that the victims are U.S. citizens, he added.
“The Korean consulate joins the people of the Dallas-Fort Worth area to express our deepest condolences for the victims and their family members,” Kim said. “We pray for the victims and their family members for their healing and recovery.”
John Jun, a co-founder of the Korean American Coalition of Dallas-Fort Worth, said he first learned multiple victims of the mass shooting were of Korean descent through Korean-language news outlets. Jun also attends New Song Church in Carrollton.
“This is a horrific event, it just hits you in the heart when something like this happens close to home. Then having learned that four of the victims are Korean, it hits you even harder,” said Jun, who is also a Coppell City Council member.
“It’s devastating to think that they were simply out shopping and enjoying time together when their lives were taken from them,” one Facebook post about the family read. “This kind of violence has no place in our society, and we must come together to do everything we can to prevent it from happening again. May the Cho and Kang families find comfort and strength during this difficult time.”
Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano also released a video message Monday afternoon confirming the family was a part of the school community.
“We’re fortunate in the fact that we have several professionals that have been in the classroom with me today just to even visit with the students who are directly or indirectly impacted by this,” said Mike Goddard, superintendent of the Prestonwood Christian Academy School System.
2 elementary school students
Among those killed were two Cox Elementary students — fourth-grader Daniela Mendoza and second-grader Sofia Mendoza. Daniela was 11. Sofia was 8.
Their mother, Ilda, was in critical condition Monday, according to an email from Wylie ISD Superintendent David Vinson.
“We love your babies, we love them so much,” Vinson wrote. “Our love for our kiddos and each other will get us through this. Daniela and Sofia will not be forgotten. Hug your kids, and tell them you love them.”
An elephant plush hung by a cross for Sofia Mendoza near the Allen mall.
Cox Elementary School principal Krista Wilson said the plan is to not announce information at school so that parents can share the news with their children.
“Students may respond in many different ways to this news, even if they didn’t know Daniela and Sofia. Please let us know if you notice any changes in behavior or have concerns about how your child is responding to this situation,” Wilson said in an email.
Additional counselors and support staff were at Cox Elementary Monday and Tuesday and will continue to be available to students, staff and families. Wylie ISD and Cox Elementary, where the Mendoza sisters went to school, asked the community to wear yellow Wednesday in their honor.
A GoFundMe for the family had raised more than $265,000 as of Friday morning.
“Please pray for our now broken family. The girls have left a void that nothing in the world could ever fill,” the GoFundMe page read.
Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32
Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, came to Dallas less than a year ago to escape violence and poverty in Venezuela. His brother, Gregory Cumana, said Elio was awaiting the processing of his asylum application.
“What saddens me the most and doesn’t let me sleep is to think how he died, how he was left alone, the time he was lying on the floor while that man was shooting. If he bled to death, if someone helped him, if he couldn’t run, if he didn’t have time for anything,” Gregory told The Dallas Morning News from Venezuela.
Gregory said Elio was always the most playful and teasing of his siblings. He loved car racing and dreamed of seeing the Daytona International Speedway. He was the closest to his father, Santos Emilio Cumana, a retired military officer and a professor at the National Experimental Polytechnic University of the Armed Forces in Venezuela.
Elio, he said, was the brother who kept an eye on everyone and messaged them to see how they were doing. He went out of his way to make sure his dad had everything he needed.
“He had such optimism,” Gregory said. “Even if the day was gray, the smile never left his face.”
Staff writer Zaeem Shaikh contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story included a relative’s social media post that misstated a victim’s age.
