A mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall over the weekend nearly decimated two families, leaving three children dead and another orphaned, their loved ones and officials said Monday.
Eight people were fatally shot and a half-dozen more were injured when a 33-year-old gunman, who was later killed by police, opened fire at Allen Premium Outlets, about 25 miles north of Dallas, authorities said.
The victims include a young boy and his parents, two elementary school-aged sisters, a security guard working toward his goals, and an engineer with a master’s degree.
Kyu Song Cho, 37 and Cindy Cho, 35, were shot dead, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement. Their 3-year-old son, James, was also killed, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to help the family and The Dallas Morning News, which cited the Houston office of the South Korean consulate.
The only surviving member of the family is the couple’s oldest child, William, who just turned 6, according to the fundraising page.
Young-Hwan Kim, the Houston consul for South Korea, told NBC News that the family were not Korean nationals but Americans. Though he declined to confirm the identities of the victims, the consul said he had been in contact with the family.
Two young sisters also died in the shooting and their mother, Ilda Mendoza, remains in critical condition, according to a letter sent to parents by the girls’ school.
Daniela Mendoza, a fourth-grader at Cox Elementary in Sachse, Texas, and her sister Sofia Mendoza, a second-grader, were described by the school’s principal as “rays of sunshine.”
“Words cannot express the sadness we feel as we grieve the loss of our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims, and all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” Wylie Independent School District Superintendent David Vinson wrote.
“Daniela and Sofia will not be forgotten. Hug your kids, and tell them you love them,” Vinson added.
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