The second victim of the Texas mall massacre has been identified as a 27-year-old engineer who was shopping for her upcoming birthday when she was shot.
Aishwarya Thatikonda, originally from Hyderabad, India, was identified today by a family representative as one of the nine people killed in the massacre – including the gunman.
Thatikonda, who moved to Dallas two years ago to work as a project engineer at Perfect General Contractors, was shopping with her friend at Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday morning when gunman Mauricio Garcia opened fire.
“She was very kind and very loving,” a family representative told WFAA, adding that Thatikonda’s girlfriend was injured in the shooting and is currently in a stable hospital.
Christian LaCour, 20, who worked as a security guard at the mall, was the first victim of the mass shooting to be identified yesterday. His grandmother Sandra Montgomery described him as a “beautiful soul”.
Aishwarya Thatikonda (pictured), originally from Hyderabad, India, was identified today by a family representative as one of the nine people killed in the massacre – including the gunman
Christian LaCour, 20, (pictured), who worked as a security guard at the mall, was the first victim of the mass shooting to be identified yesterday
Shoppers leave as law enforcement officers respond to the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in the Dallas area on Saturday
The shooter, Mauricio Garcia, wore SWAT gear with a semi-automatic rifle at his side. He lies dead outside another Allen store a dozen feet from the H&M store
“My beautiful grandson, Christian LaCour, was the security guard who was killed in the Allen, Texas shooting. He was such a beautiful soul,” she wrote.
In another tribute post shared on Sunday, a person close to LaCour’s family said he was a “very sweet gentleman.”
Kellie Smith said she felt lucky “to have watched this sweet boy grow into a very sweet gentleman,” the woman wrote on Facebook.
“Her will be a void forever. Please lift up his family in prayer as they navigate this incredible time in their lives. Christian, you will always be close to us because we will hold you in our hearts until we see you in heaven,” Smith wrote.
LaCour was the first of eight victims to be publicly identified, and the identification comes a full day after the shooting.
Children were among the eight dead in the rampage, which saw more than 100 shots fired. Seven were pronounced at the scene and two at the hospital.
In addition, firefighters transported nine victims to hospitals, but officials say more may have been taken in by other agencies.
As of the early hours of Monday, three victims were in critical condition and four in stable condition, police confirmed to FOX 4.
The shooter has since been identified as 33-year-old Garcia. He was gunned down by a police officer after Saturday afternoon’s shooting.
Officials are investigating whether Garcia had an interest in white racist or neo-Nazi ideologies.
A law enforcement official said federal agents checked social media accounts and believed Garcia had expressed an interest in neo-Nazi views and had a patch on his chest that read RWDS — an acronym for Right Wing Death Squad popular with extremists and whites dominance groups.
Investigators searched a home linked to the suspect and a Dallas motel near an interstate where Garcia had been staying. The motel room contained several weapons, including an AR-15 rifle and a handgun.
Christian LaCour, 20, who worked as a mall security guard, was the first mass shooting victim to be identified
“My beautiful grandson, Christian LaCour, was the security guard who was killed in the Allen Texas shooting. He was such a beautiful soul,” wrote Sandra Montgomer, LaCour’s grandmother
Allen Police Department officers man the mobile command post the day after the gunman shot dead several people
A bouquet of flowers will be left outside the entrance of the Allen Premium Outlet Mall to commemorate those killed during the previous day’s mass shooting in Allen, Texas
A man who witnessed Saturday’s shooting firsthand recalled being one of the first people on the scene – rushing to rescue his son from a clothing store, where the now-deceased gunman’s attack began.
Shortly before, at around 3.30pm, Steven Spainhouer received a frantic phone call from his son telling him that shots had been fired outside H&M.
Footage showed the moment the first shots were fired, with the unidentified gunman pulling up outside the store.
Driving over with intent to save his child’s life, Spainhouer explained how he got there before any first responders – and faced the daunting task of saving lives.
“I never thought that 100 years from now I’d be in the position of being the first responder on the job site, taking care of people,” he told CBS News.
Spainhouer said he stepped in and tried to help victims who were in need.
The man said he tried to provide CPR and first aid but was shocked by the severity of the situation and multiple casualties.
“The first girl I went to was crouched in the bushes and covering her head, so I felt for a pulse, pulled her head to the side and she had no face,” he said of the first victim he encountered. a young girl.
MacKenzie Bates hugs her mother Rochelle where flowers were left at the crime scene
Several casualties have been reported after an active gunman fired at an outdoor outlet mall – with one of the gunmen reportedly now dead and another still at large
Dashcam video showed the gunman getting out of a car and shooting at people on the sidewalk on Saturday afternoon. More than three dozen shots were heard as the vehicle capturing the video pulled away.
Garcia used an AR-15 style weapon during the mass shooting and wore full SWAT tactical gear.
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd confirmed seven people died at the scene, including the gunman, and two other victims died in hospital.
Three of the wounded were in critical condition and four were stable as of the evening, Boyd said in an update Saturday night.
A Dallas-area medical group said it was treating victims as young as 5 years old.
Investigators confirmed they believe the shooter Garcia worked alone, but have not yet released a motive for the killings.
Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard gunfire through his headphones. He said: “It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside.
“I pray it wasn’t children, but it looked like children,” he said.
“The bodies were covered with white sheets and slumped over bags on the floor. “It broke me when I went out to see that.”