Three members of the same family – Cindy, Kyu and 3-year-old James Cho – were among the victims in the Allen, Texas, mall shooting, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family. Cindy and Kyu were James Cho’s parents.
Their son William Cho, 6, survived the shooting, the page says, adding, “William just celebrated his 6th birthday 4 days prior.”
In addition, two young girls, ages 11 and 8, Danielle and Sofia Mendoza, died despite their mother’s attempt to shield them, according to Fox 4.
Christian LaCour was the first Allen, Texas, mall shooting victim to be named in the wake of the massacre that took the lives of eight people. The gunman was killed by police, authorities said.
Sandra Montgomery, LaCour’s grandmother, confirmed the news in a Facebook post. “My beautiful grandson, Christian LaCour, was the security guard killed in the shooting at Allen Texas. He was such a beautiful soul, 20 years old with goals for his future I was so proud of him and so glad I got to see him 2 weeks ago,” she wrote.
“Please pray for my family,” she wrote, calling the tragedy “almost unbearable.”
On May 8, 2023, Allen police released this list of deceased victims:
Female, age 11, Sachse, TX
Female, age 8, Sachse, TX
Kyu Song Cho, male, age 37, Dallas, TX
Cindy Cho, female, age 35, Dallas, TX
Male, age 3, Dallas, TX (not named by the police, this victim was James Cho)
Christian LeCour, male, age 23, Nevada, TX
Elio Cumana-Rivas, male, age 32, Dallas, TX
Aishwarya Thatikonda, female, age 26, McKinney, TX
Although police did not name the two female juveniles, they were named by their school district as Daniela Mendoza, a 4th Grader, and Sofia Mendoza, a 2nd Grader. Their mother Ilda Mendoza, is in critical condition, according to Fox4.
The shooter, identified as Mauricio Garcia, had also worked as a security guard, according to a state database, but his license was expired. Fire and police officials, speaking in a news conference, say the gunman shot and killed eight people and wounded seven others at the outlet mall in Allen on May 6, 2023, before being shot and killed by a police officer who was at the shopping center for an unrelated reason.
Cottonwood Creek Church was holding a community prayer service on May 7, 2023, in memory of the victims.
Here’s what you need to know about the Allen outlet mall shooting victims:
The Cho Family
GoFundMeThe Cho family.
According to the GoFundMe page set up to help the Chos:
On Saturday, May 6th, Cindy, Kyu, William and James Cho visited the Allen outlet mall together in North Texas. William just celebrated his 6th birthday 4 days prior and James is 3. An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love and celebration unfortunately was cut short by another mass shooting massacre that left 8 victims dead. Cindy, Kyu and three year old James were among those victims that tragically lost their lives and the family is in deep mourning. After being released from the ICU, their six year old son William is the only surviving member of this horrific event.
This GoFundMe is being created to help their family. Please share this link with your family and friends
Danielle, Sofia (Deceased) & Ilda Mendoza (Wounded)
According to journalist Lauren Przybyl, in a Facebook post, “close friends of 10-year-old Daniela Mendoza and 8-year-old Sofia Mendoza say the two girls died in the Allen Premium Outlets shooting.”
She added that their mother Ilda Mendoza “is in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg and shoulder.”
Przybul wrote in the Facebook post that a family friend told her the mother “saw her children get shot and tried to shield them. Their father was helping an older woman with a walker and was farther behind them. They were shopping for an upcoming family trip to Cancun. The two children attended Cox Elementary in Wylie ISD.”
Cox Elementary principal Krista Wilson called the girls “rays of sunshine” in a statement to Fox4.
“Daniela and Sofia were the kindest, most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room,” said Wilson in a statement given to the television station, which added that the girls were in cheerleading classes.
Christian LaCour
NBC5 reporter Katy Blakey wrote on Facebook that LaCour was a Farmersville resident who “worked as a security guard.”
Before his death was confirmed, LaCour’s grandmother wrote on Facebook, “Please be in prayer for the people in Allen Texas at the mall. My grandson and granddaughter work there. My granddaughter has been located but my grandson hasn’t. Just lift them up in prayer please.”
Fox4 News reported that LaCour’s mother had also confirmed he was among the victims.
Police have not yet released a motive for the attack, but multiple reports say the shooter had a patch with white supremacist insignia at the time of the massacre.
Elio Cumana-Rivas
Heavy will add a bio and photo to this post for Cumana-Rivera when one is available.
Aishwarya Thatikonda
#NEW Aishwarya Thatikonda was shopping at the Allen Outlet mall for her upcoming 28th birthday.
Aishwarya will forever be 27.
Family rep confirms to me the McKinney engineer was killed in the mass shooting in #AllenTexas.
“She was very friendly and very loving.” @wfaa
WFAA-TV reporter Jobin Panicker wrote on Twitter, “Aishwarya Thatikonda was shopping at the Allen Outlet mall for her upcoming 28th birthday. Aishwarya will forever be 27. Family rep confirms to me the McKinney engineer was killed in the mass shooting in #AllenTexas.”
“She was very friendly and very loving,” he quoted the rep as saying.
GettyEmergency personnel work the scene of a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets on May 6, 2023 in Allen, Texas. According to reports, a shooter opened fire at the outlet mall, injuring nine people who were taken to local hospitals. The police have confirmed there were fatalities but have not specified how many. The unidentified shooter was neutralized by an Allen Police officer responding to an unrelated call.
Allen Mayor Ken Fulk said in a statement:
Today is a tragic day for the City of Allen, our citizens, our friends and visitors who were at the Allen Premium Outlets. We are a strong and caring community, and we want all of the victims and their families impacted by this tragedy to know that we will wrap our arms around you, and we are here for you. The city of Allen pledges to offer our complete support. We know you are grieving, we are grieving. Rest assured, the nation and the world are also grieving.
Allen is a proud and safe city which makes today’s senseless act of violence even more shocking. However, I want to commend our police and fire departments for their quick response. Their thorough training not to hesitate to move toward the threat likely saved more lives today. We also want to thank all of our surrounding municipalities and law enforcement agencies for offering their assistance at the scene. This collective effort is what makes our North Texas communities united.
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