Seven people, including three children, killed by a gunman in a Texas mall shooting have been pictured.
Five adults and three children were shot dead at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday, May 6, when a gunman parked up and opened fire.
The gunman, identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, was shot and killed at the scene by a police officer.
Garcia parked up in the car park outside the H&M store where footage shows him getting out of the car and opening fire using an AR-15-style rifle.
He killed eight and injured seven others in what was the second deadliest shooting in the US so far in 2023.
Victims include two elementary school sisters, a couple and their three-year-old son and a mall employee, among others.
They have been named as: Christian LaCour, 20, Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27, Kyu Cho, 37, Cindy Cho, 35, and their son James, 3, Daniela Mendoza, 10, and sister Sofia Mendoza, 8, and Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32 - who is yet to be pictured.
As investigations continue into Garcia and his background, including white supremacist and neo-Nazi links, the families, friends and loved ones of the victims have been releasing images and sharing tributes.
Daniela and Sofia Mendoza
Two of the youngest victims, Daniela and Sofia were students at the Cox Elementary in Sachse. Daniela, 11, and Sofia, 8, have been described by their principal as "rays of sunshine".
Daniela was in the fourth grade, while Sofia was in second grade. Their mother, Ilda, remains in hospital in a critical condition.
The girls' aunt, Anabel Del Angel, has organised a GoFundMe to help the family. She wrote: "With a heavy heart, we share that our beautiful Daniela and Sofia have passed away.
"They were tragically taken from us by a senseless act on May 6, 2023. Their mum is currently still hospitalised."
She went on to say: "Please pray for our now broken family.
"The girls have left a void that nothing in the world could ever fill."
"Words cannot express the sadness we feel as we grieve the loss of our students," said the Wylie school district in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims, and all those affected by this senseless tragedy."
Princpal Krista Wilson said: "Daniela and Sofia were the kindest, most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room."
Cindy, Kyu and James Cho
Cindy and Kyu Cho were at the mall with their two sons, three-year-old James and six-year-old William.
Cindy, Kyu and James all died as a result of the shooting, while William was hospitalised.
The family were reportedly visiting the outlet mall to exchange clothes William had received for his birthday just four days before the shooting.
The children attended Prestonwood Christian Academy.
Dr Jack Graham, the church's senior pastor, described them as a "sweet family". He said: "Three of the four in heaven, and a child left behind."
One of James' teachers, Trinnity Whitley, spoke fondly of the young boy, and also his family.
"He was one of the smartest kids I've ever met," she said. "You don't build connections with just the kids. You have to build connections with their families."
Cindy was a dentist, who worked under the name Dr Cindy Kang at Thrive Richardson.
In a statement, her dental office said: "We had the privilege of working with Dr Kang who was the dentist at our Thrive Richardson location.
"Our whole team loved her very much, and we are absolutely heartbroken.
"Dr Kang was the sweetest, most beautiful soul with the kindest heart. She was an outstanding dentist, mother, wife, daughter, friend, and faithful woman of God."
Christian LaCour
Christian LaCour, 20, was identified as one of the victims of the shooting by his mother.
He was said to be loved by many and was working as a security guard at the mall when the shooting happened.
His grandma, Sandra Montgomery, took to social media to share a tribute to her "beautiful grandson".
She said: "He was such a beautiful soul, 20 years old with goals for his future I was so proud of him and so glad I got to see him two weeks ago."
She asked people to pray for her family, saying: "They are very close and I know this is almost unbearable."
His sister Brianna Smith told CNN: "Christian was a sweet, caring young man who was loved greatly by our family."
A fellow mall employee, Max Weiss, who worked at one of the stores said Christian was "the kind of person who would just walk into the store and everyone in the room would light up because he was there."
He added: "Every time he was in the store, it felt safer. He brought laughter and joy and always knew what to say."
LaCour grew up in Farmersville, Texas, around 20 miles from the Allen Premium Outlets. In a statement, Farmersville Independent School District (FISD) said: "Christian was known as a genuinely kind person.
"He was a dedicated student who enjoyed learning and asking thought-provoking questions. Christian was a wonderful friend and a good student who fellow student and FISD staff members loved."
Aishwarya Thatikonda
Aishwarya Thatikonda, a 27-year-old engineer, was also confirmed to be one of the victims by family members.
A family representative, Ashok Kolla, explained how he spent all day Sunday, May 7, searching for her after one of her roommates voiced concern she hadn't come home and her phone was turned off.
Kolla checked with local hospitals, police, friends, anybody he could think of but had no luck.
Then he checked with the Collin County Medical Examiner's Office where he learned of her fate.
"We don't want to hear the sad news, but unfortunately that's what it is," he said.
Thatikonda's parents still live in India, so Kolla had to make the call to break the devastating news to them.
He's now helping the family to have her remains returned to India. The engineer out of McKinney had been at the mall with a friend who was also shot but survived.
"The family is staying thousands of miles from here, and she came here for a better dream," Kolla explained.
"Coming to the US is a dream come true for many of our international students, thinking we are going to have a bright future."
He spoke of her mother, who he is in contact with, waiting around the other side of the world to see her daughter one last time.
"Painful," he said. "It's just everywhere in the media now. Until she arrives there, it's just counting down the days. It's painful."
Elio Cumana-Rivas
Elio Cumana Rivas, 32, from Dallas was also confirmed to be one of the deceased by Texas Department of Public Safety. His brother said that he worked hard to support his mum and dad, who live in Venezuela.
Cumana-Rivas' brother, Gregory Smith Cumana said his brother worked as a delivery man and he frequently checked in on family in Venezuela. "We were all very close," said Gregory Smith Cumana. "He helped his mother buy her medicine, and he would also contact our dad and make sure he had everything he needed."
He moved to the US in 2022 after living in Panama for a few months. "Elio's goal was to grow as a person and his dream was to find a place where he could grow and help his loved ones. That's what drove him to move to Panama and then the United States," Cumana told CNN.
The family found out about Elio's death after a law enforcement official contacted his younger brother, who's living in Chile. "We were watching the news about the Venezuelans who got hit by a car in Texas," he recalled.
"But we never would've imagined that my brother would end up being a victim of the shooting that happened Saturday. My father is going through a very hard time right now. It's a pain you can't describe."
A family friend, Fernando Guitian, remembered spending time with Cumana-Rivas in Higuerote, where Elio lived as a child. Higuerote is the capital city of Brión Municipality in Venezuela, lying on the coast around an hour and a half from Caracas, it has a population of around 25,000.
"I knew Elio since he was a child," Guitian said. "He grew up playing with my daughters. We all lived in Higuerote."
He described Cumana-Rivas as a good person and hard worker who "adored his mother". The family are reportedly planning to have him cremated and his remains sent back to Venezuela.
