ALLEN — At least half of the eight victims who died in Saturday’s mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlet mall were of Asian descent, and while the suburb has an almost 20% Asian population, it isn’t clear if the attack was targeted.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has yet to confirm or deny the motivation for the attack in this city about 25 miles northeast of Dallas with an overall population that is 61.4% white, 19.2% Asian, 9.6% Black or African American and 11.2% Hispanic or Latino, according to 2022 census data.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the community paid its respects at a memorial that includes eight crosses, flowers, toys and ribbons. It sits on the edge of the outlet mall outside of Express and American Eagle. Notes written in Sharpie on Aishwarya Thatikonda’s cross read: “The Indian community is devastated for your loss. Rest in Peace” and “The Indian community protects you. We all do.”
The deceased are Thatikonda, 26, a project engineer from India; Christian LaCour, 20, a security guard; a Korean family, Cho Kyu Song, 37, Kang Shin Young, 35, and one of their children, three-year-old James; two elementary school children, sisters Daniela Mendoza, 11, and Sofia Mendoza, 8; and Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32.
Community members said the mall is popular among the Asian community and the diverse population of the suburb.
“Sometimes I come here and I feel like, have I come to India, or have I come to America?” said Anu Dhalwale, 53, who has lived in Allen for 28 years, and comes to the outlet mall regularly.
When she visits, she said that there is someone from every community shopping too.
“It’s a very diverse community,” Dhalwale said. “You see it. It’s very visible, and we’re proud of it. We are here because of that.”
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.
— India in Houston (@cgihou) May 8, 2023
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…
Chanda Parbhoo, founder of SAAVETX, an organization that advocates for South Asian American voter empowerment, said many in her community feel “vulnerable and targeted,” adding that “action is necessary to prevent these senseless acts of violence.”
”Immigrants come to this country seeking jobs and economic opportunity,” Parbhoo said in a written statement. “We thought Texas offered safety and security for our families, but instead, we are met with mass shootings that leave our families feeling broken and lost.”
For many in the city and surrounding suburbs, the mall is an everyday place to run errands or a fun stop on weekends.
Alysia Jordan, 51, moved to nearby McKinney with her husband and son about two years ago because she heard it was the best, and safest, place to raise a family. When she heard about the shooting, her heart dropped, she said.
“It’s where I get my wedding ring done at Zales, and I go every so often, and I just went not even two weeks ago,” Jordan said. “It’s just the everyday stuff that is so familiar to us that it’s just so tough to imagine that this could happen.”
The Dallas Morning News spoke with a relative of one of the surviving victims, who is Indian, on whether or not he thought the attack was racially motivated.
“People can’t even think about those things at this level,” he said. “We are just worried about anyone living. They just want to know how to save them.”
The relative, who said he’s never felt unsafe, and other family members are now concerned for their well being and asked to remain anonymous.
Madeline Bell, 52, has lived in Allen for 25 years and saw the mall being built. She visited the outlets with her mother and granddaughter earlier on Saturday before the shooting.
“It’s a place where we go to have time with family,” Bell said.
While Bell didn’t know anyone personally who was part of the shooting, she visited the memorial to leave a teddy bear, a blue balloon and flowers for the Cho family.
A statement, in part, from Mayor Kenneth Fulk posted on Allen’s website says the city is appreciative of all of the condolences and notes from all over the world.
“On behalf of the city council, our law enforcement personnel, first responders and all of our city employees — we will remain strong and stand united,” he said.
Staff writer Hojun Choi contributed to this report.
