(Editor Note: This story has been updated numerous times to include the names of the victims)
Three members of a Korean American family including a three-year-old boy and an Indian American woman are among the 8 people killed by a suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer in Allen, Texas.
The Korean consulate confirmed the deaths of the family, according to the Yonhap News Agency. A GoFundMe post has identified the parents who were killed as Cindy and Kyu Cho. Their three-year-old son James was also killed, and their six-year-old son William remains in the hospital, but out of intensive care.
A family friend who reached out to AsAmNews said the mother may have died trying to protect her eldest son who she says is in stable, but critical condition.
She says the mother was beyond recognition, but that her parents identified her after recognizing her wedding ring.
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NBC News has identified a fourth victim as 27-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda. She is a member of the Telugu community of India and was an engineer working in Dallas.
The Telugu Association of North America is assisting the family and the remains are expected to be shipped back to India for burial.
According to the Daily Mail, she was shopping at the Allen Premium Outlets for her birthday when killed.
A fifth victim has been identified as Christian LaCour, 20. He is a security guard at the mall.
“He was such a beautiful soul,’ said his grandma.
Two sisters were also killed– Daniela Mendoza, a fourth grader, and her sister Sofia, who was in the second grade.
Police released the identity of the final victim as Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32.
A police officer who happened to be in the mall at the time shot and killed the suspect, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. The BBC reports that during the attack he wore clothing with an RWDS patch which stands for “right-wing death squad.” It is a patch commonly associated with right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups.
President Joe Biden said Garcia was armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle, NBC reported. Investigators say he wore a bulletproof vest and also had a handgun. His social media accounts contained racially motivated extremist rhetoric. It is believed he acted alone.
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