Danielle Buwon Kim, pastor of Ka:ll Community Dinner Church, read the names of the eight killed in the Allen mall shooting a year ago as she led a moment of silence and prayer at Green Park in Allen.
“Cindy Cho. James Cho. Kyu Cho. Elio Cumana-Rivas. Christian LaCour. Daniela Mendoza. Sofia Mendoza. Aishwarya Thatikonda,” Kim said.
About 70 people gathered at the park on Sunday for a healing and remembrance event for the people who were killed on May 6, 2023, at Allen Premium Outlets. The event was organized by South Asian American Voter Empowerment Texas and Moms Demand Action.
“As a person of faith, I believe that God is love and love is God,” Kim said. “And love abhors violence in our homes and in our streets.”
Chanda Parbhoo, founder of the voter empowerment organization, said she believes it is important for authorities to recognize that the shooting was a hate-motivated attack. Authorities have said the shooter had neo-Nazi ideation, but have not said the shooting was a hate crime.
“The guy is dead, but you can still call it a hate crime, because when you pull statistics together, we’re only going to get resources given to our community if those things are documented correctly,” Parbhoo said.
Parbhoo said the Sunday event was to give the community hope that they can work together to create positive change. During the event, multiple people shared their experiences related to gun violence and urged others to advocate for gun safety laws.
Isabella Spartz, group leader of UT Dallas Students Demand Action said she wants to honor the memories of those who were killed in the mass shooting with “action.”
“Eight lives were stolen. Several more were injured, and a community was rocked to its core,” Spartz said. “That kind of tragedy should not be possible, let alone something that is all to normal in America.”
People who spoke at the event included representatives from multiple organizations, including Somos Tejas, Giffords Gun Owners for Safety and the Center for Healing.
State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, whose district encompasses part of Collin County, denounced the “epidemic of gun violence” and laws that allow access to assault-style weapons.
“I know that in the state of Texas, we can protect the Second Amendment and second graders. Guns are the number one killer of children in this state and it must end,” Plesa said.
Attendees placed red flags in the ground to represent the lives lost to gun violence.
“I think it’s important for us to continue to remember these eight victims, those who were injured, and hundreds of other survivors who were there that day. We’re not going to forget them,” said Alissa Wallace, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re going to continue sharing their names, we’re going to continue to share their stories. It’s extremely important for us to not stay silent.”
A permanent memorial dedicated to the Allen outlet mall shooting victims is scheduled to be unveiled Monday, on the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting.
