Who are the victims of the Texas Allen shooting? Christian LaCour identified as one of the victims killed in the incident

Two of the eight people fatally shot at a Texas Allen mall were identified on Sunday, May 7, as Christian LaCour and Aishwarya Thatikonda. The identity of the remaining six victims who were gunned down in the bloody rampage a day earlier is still unknown.

On Saturday, May 6, a lone gunman, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, shot and killed eight people and injured seven others at a Texas shopping mall in Allen before being shot dead by police officers. Garcia, a Dallas native who authorities suspect is a neo-Nazi sympathizer, was reportedly found wearing an ‘RWDS’ - Right Wing Death Squad - patch on his chest.

Investigators, who have yet to disclose a motive behind the massacre, said that the suspect's social media account revealed that the gunman was allegedly aligned with far-right white supremacist ideologies.

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What we know about Christian LaCour and Aishwarya Thatikonda

While authorities did not immediately disclose the identity of the victims at the time of the incident, multiple news agencies citing family members have revealed the names of two casualties who were killed in the Texas mall. They were identified as Christian LaCour and Aishwarya Thatikonda.

Christian LaCour

As per Multiple reports, Christian LaCour, 22, a native of Farmersville, Texas, was a security guard at the Allen Premium Outlets. He was on duty when suspect Mauricio Garcia opened fire in the parking lot outside H&M.

Sandra Montgomery, Christian LaCour’s grandmother via Facebook post, confirmed that her grandson was killed in the mass shooting incident in the Texas mall. She mourned the loss of her beloved grandson, describing him as a "beautiful soul" whose life was tragically cut short before he could fulfill his dreams.

“Christian LaCour was the security guard killed in the shooting at Allen Texas. He was such a beautiful soul, 22 years old with goals for his future. I was so proud of him and so glad I got to see him two weeks ago.”

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Aishwarya Thatikonda

Aishwarya Thatikonda, an Indian-origin engineer who lived in McKinney, Texas, was with a friend shopping for her upcoming 28th birthday at the Texas mall when she was shot dead. The unidentified friend was reportedly injured in the shooting.

Aishwarya Thatikonda's parents, who live in India, confirmed their daughter was killed in the mall shooting via a family representative to WFAA-TV. As per Thatikonda’s LinkedIn, she worked as Project Engineer at Perfect General Contractors LLC in Dallas, Texas.

Thatikonda, a civil engineer from Hyderabad, India, appears to have moved to the united states in 2019, to work as a teaching assistant at the Eastern Michigan University for Electronic Engineering Courses.

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Allen Mall issues statement regarding the mass shooting

As per the New York Post, the Allen shopping mall was evacuated on Saturday after Mauricio Garcia opened fire, killing eight people. Shortly after the Texas mall shooting, in a brief statement, Allen Fire Department Chief Jonathan Boyd said six people died at the scene while nine others were transported to area hospitals.

Shortly after being transported to the hospital, two people reportedly succumbed to their injuries. Boyd added that at least three people were in critical condition.

In a statement about the shooting, the Allen Mall said:

“We are horrified by the senseless tragedy at Allen Premium Outlets and are outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act. We are thankful for the Allen Police Officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders.”

While the motive for the killing remains unclear, Police said that the investigations are still in the preliminary stage, where they are assessing if the killings were connected to the shooter's alleged extremist ideologies.