Allen mall shooting victims include 3-year-old boy after Texas gunman Mauricio Garcia opened fire in shopping center
A THREE-year-old boy and his parents were among eight victims senselessly killed in a shooting at a mall over the weekend.
Mauricio Garcia, 33, of Dallas, Texas, was shot dead by police after opening fire on the Allen Premium Outlets Saturday afternoon.
8th
8th
8th
Kyu Song Cho, 37, Cindy Cho, 35, and their three-year-old son James were all shot dead in the tragic attack.
They were joined by two elementary school-age sisters, a security guard and an engineer NBC News reports.
Sisters Sofia Mendoza, eight, and Daniela Mendoza, 11, were described as “rays of sunshine” by their school principal.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims and everyone affected by this senseless tragedy,” wrote school district superintendent David Vinson.
Meanwhile, Aishwarya Thatikonda, just 26, was a project manager at Dallas contractor Perfect General Contractors, as well as a representative for the Telugu Association of North America.
“It’s a sadness I’ve never experienced before. I pray this situation doesn’t happen to anyone,” said their boss Srinivas Chaluvadi.
Christian LaCour, a mall security guard, also lost his life in the horrific shooting.
On Facebook, the 23-year-old’s grandmother described LaCour as “such a beautiful soul” who has “goals for his future.”
Police officials also revealed that Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, was also gunned down and killed.
The horrifying scene broke out around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Dashcam footage capturing the harrowing event saw Garcia exit what is believed to be a gray Dodge Charger before opening fire on pedestrians.
Officials eventually evacuated the mall, letting shoppers and employees exit with their hands raised.
A police officer on an unrelated call fatally shot the shooter, ending the unfathomable murder.
According to a report by , the case is currently being viewed as a potential act of racially or ethically motivated violent extremism NBC News.
At the time of the shooting, Garcia was wearing a patch on his chest that read: RWDS, sources familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post.
This is reportedly an acronym for Right Wing Death Squad, popular with right-wing extremists, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists.
Gracia reportedly used an AR-15-style rifle in the shooting, and several other firearms were found at the scene, law enforcement sources said The Wall Street Journal.
Over 100 fired rounds were also found, an official at the outlet said.
According to reports, Garcia was a former army veteran and worked as a security guard. He had no significant criminal record.
A GoFundMe was formed to support Kyu and Cindy Cho’s family and their only surviving six-year-old child.
8th
8th
8th
8th
8th