6-Year-Old Boy, Who Lost His Family In Texas Shooting, Was At The Mall To Exchange His Birthday Gift
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the shooting deaths of Kyu Song Cho, 37, his wife Cindy Cho, 35, and their 3-year-old son James impacted the Cho family. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the family.
On the weekend, a mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in Texas resulted in the loss of eight lives and injuries to several others. However, there were two families among the victims who lost everything.
Cindy and Kyu Cho were visiting the Allen Premium Outlets in Dallas with their two kids to exchange a birthday present that didn¡¯t fit their older son William. William had celebrated his sixth birthday just a few days back.
And in the blink of an eye, their lives turned upside down. While Cindy, Kyu, and James were fatally shot, William was wounded and still remains hospitalized.
Facebook
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the shooting claimed the lives of Kyu Song Cho, 37, his wife Cindy Cho, 35, and their 3-year-old son James.
Kyu Song Cho 37 years old
¡ª Chloe (@Chloe_DXM) May 9, 2023
Cindy Cho 35 years old
and their son James 3 years old were senselessly killed at the #allenoutletmall shooting.
Their son William, 6 years old was released from the ICU. It¡¯s unclear who will care for him.? #Texas pic.twitter.com/xx7Z60eeZr
Even though police shot and killed the shooter, unimaginable losses were already incurred.
Say their names
¡ª ????????????? (@Lady_Star_Gem) May 8, 2023
Cho Kyu Song, 37
Kang Shin Young, 35
James, 3
William, 6, sole survivor of this family, he celebrated his 6th birthday just 4 days before shooting, he was injured but released from ICU.
William is an orphan now, he lost both his parents & 3 y/o baby brother.
? pic.twitter.com/iqcVm3sfb6
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the family. The incident has left a 6-year-old boy as the sole survivor of his family.
Facebook
"An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love, and celebration, unfortunately, was cut short by another mass shooting massacre that left eight victims dead," the page stated. "
Facebook
"Cindy, Kyu, and three-year-old James were among those victims that tragically lost their lives, and the family is in deep mourning ... William is the [family's] only surviving member of this horrific event."
The Cho family were Americans, not Korean nationals, according to the Houston consul for South Korea, Young-Hwan Kim, who has been in contact with the family.
Two young sisters, Daniela Mendoza, and Sofia Mendoza, also lost their lives in the attack, leaving their mother, Ilda Mendoza, in critical condition.
Twitter
The Wylie Independent School District has expressed condolences for losing the two students, describing them as "rays of sunshine." A member of the Mendoza family declined to comment.
Agencies
Aishwarya Thatikonda, a 26-year-old project engineer at Dallas contracting firm Perfect General Contractors, was among those killed in the shooting.
Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27.
¡ª KRUPALI (@krupali) May 9, 2023
She was out shopping for her birthday outfit.
Her body will be flown back to India for services. #Allen pic.twitter.com/GQw7DCC7h7
She was also a representative from the Telugu Association of North America, which is now supporting her family.
Yesterday in Dallas, a mass shooting happened. Nine people got killed, including a 5-year-old, and many others were injured. Our Telugu girl named Aishwarya Thatikonda, who went missing yesterday, was found unrecognisable with bullets on her face today.
¡ª Vamsi (@TelugiteVamsi) May 8, 2023
On the night of the shooting, Thatikonda had a work meeting scheduled at one of the firm's projects, but she never showed up.
Twitter
Her boss, Srinivas Chaluvadi, received a call from the company architect alerting him of her absence, and he became increasingly panicked as hours passed without any word.
Eventually, Chaluvadi learned that Thatikonda had been killed.
Her face was mutilated, making identification difficult. Chaluvadi and Thatikonda were from the same town in India and had grown close since she began working at the firm in 2020.
Chaluvadi considered her a second daughter and was planning to organize a family dinner to celebrate her upcoming 27th birthday.
Thatikonda earned her master's degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2020. The Telugu Association of North America announced that her family would have her remains sent to India.
According to a Facebook post by his grandmother, Sandra Montgomery, the shooting also claimed the life of Christian LaCour, a security guard at the mall.
This thread will be dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Texas.
¡ª Natasha ? (@ndelriego) May 8, 2023
My deepest condolences to their families?
Christian LaCour, 20
He grew up in Farmsville, TX and worked security at the mall. His family described him as a beautiful soul. pic.twitter.com/J9Ezs4VlE0
The recent tragic incident is the second deadliest mass shooting in the country this year.
Allen, Texas: First responder took a little girl¡¯s pulse before realizing she had no face.
¡ª Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 7, 2023
Time for responsible gun laws.
This senseless act of violence took the lives of many individuals and almost an entire family without discrimination.
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