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Victims of Texas mall shooting include at least 3 children

Seven of the eight victims killed in a shooting at a Texas outlet mall have been identified.
2 victims of Texas mall shooting identified
Posted at 3:16 PM, May 08, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-08 17:16:00-04

Most of the eight victims killed when a gunman opened fire at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday have been identified. 

They include men, women and children. 

Christian LaCour, 20, was reportedly working as a security guard at the mall when the shooting occurred. 

"He was a really sweet kid," his sister, Brianna Smith, told ABC News. I'm sad that he's gone."

A representative for the family of 27-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda told Dallas TV station WFAA that she was at the mall with a friend when gunshots rang out.

The woman's body will reportedly be flown to India, where her family lives. 

Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, reported on Monday that three members of a Korean American family were also among the victims. The parents and their 3-year-old child were reportedly killed. Their other child was injured and is being treated at a local hospital, the outlet reported.  

At least two other children were killed in the shooting, according to WFAA. The TV station said a girl in fourth grade and a girl in second grade were killed. Their mother was reportedly critically injured in the shooting. 

SEE MORE: 33-year-old identified as the suspect in Texas mall shooting

The gunman was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. He was killed by a police officer who happened to be in the area at the time of the shooting. 

A motive for the shooting has not been revealed. However, The Associated Press is reporting that the shooter may have held white supremacist views. 

"I believe in the coming days, the public will be much better informed about why and how this happened and that will inform us as Texas leaders about next steps to take to try to prevent crimes like this from taking place in the future," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Monday. 

Law enforcement reportedly located numerous weapons at the scene of the shooting, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun.


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