Two Latina sisters who attended elementary school are among eight people shot and killed Saturday by an extremist with neo-Nazi ideas (who was killed by a policeman) at a shopping center in Allen, Texas, Wylie School District Superintendent David Vinson said in a letter to families.
The girls were identified as fourth-grader Daniela Mendoza and second-grader SofiaMendoza, who attended Cox Elementary School in Sachse, Texas. His mother, Ilda, is hospitalized in critical condition, Vinson said in the letter.
The school's principal, Krista Wilson, described the girls as "rays of sunshine."
"Words cannot express the sadness we feel," Vinson wrote, "our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims and all those affected by this senseless tragedy." "Daniela and Sofia will not be forgotten. Hug your children and tell them you love them," the superintendent added.
Citaly Ramirez, a mall employee, visits a memorial for the victims of the shooting. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A family with a 3-year-old son
Also killed in the shooting were Kyu and CindyCho, and their 3-year-old son, James. His 6-year-old brother, William, survived, Texas authorities said.
On a fundraising page for the funeral, family friends said they had gone to a store Saturday to change clothes William received on his 6th birthday. "An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love and celebration was sadly interrupted by another mass massacre," they say.
A security guard with "future goals"
Also identified among the fatalitieswas Christian LaCour, a 20-year-old who worked as a security guard at the mall where the killer opened fire.
His grandmother, Sandra Montgomery, remembered him on Facebook as "a beautiful soul" with "goals for his future," and asked for prayers for his family, NBC News reported. "This is almost unbearable," Montgomery lamented.
One of the victims of the deadly shooting in Allen, Texas identified
May 8, 202302:21
A young Indian engineer
Another of the fatalities was identified as Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27, according to a representative of the Telugu Association of North America, a group that serves that community and is helping her family.
Aishwarya Thatikonda.via LinkedIN
Thatikonda was an engineer working in Dallas after completing a master's degree at Eastern Michigan University in 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile. His family will send his remains to India.
