The mall security guard who was shot and killed during the Texas massacre died after helping lead a shopper to safety and going back to try and save others — as authorities are still probing a motive in the rampage.
Christian LaCour, 20, a security guard who worked at the Allen Premium Outlets, was busy working a shift on Saturday afternoon when Mauricio Garcia, 33, opened fire on shoppers with an AR-15-style rifle.
Allen Chief of Police Brian Harvey said that in the chaos, LaCour rushed to save a person, leading them away from the gunman, who then set his sights on the security guard and killed him.
“We must acknowledge the bravery of allied security guard Christian LaCour, who evacuated one individual to safety and was shot while courageously remaining to help others,” Harvey said during a news conference Tuesday.
LaCour, of Farmersville, was the first victim publicly identified by family, who described him as a “beautiful soul” and a “very sweet gentleman.”
“Words can not even begin to describe the devastation that our family feels,” Kellie Smith, the mother of LaCour’s sister-in-law wrote.
“There will forever be a void.”
Meanwhile, the family of another victim, Aishwarya Thatikonda, said the died chasing the American dream.
Thatikonda, 26, an engineer at Perfect General Contractors, in Frisco, was an immigrant from India who came to study in the US in pursuit of a better life for her and her family, a rep for the family told CNN.
She came to the US about five years ago and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2020 with a Masters in construction management.
Her boss, Srinivas Chaluvadi, said she was like a daughter to him and was well-known in Frisco and neighboring communities. He touted the slain engineer as someone he was mentoring to take over his company.
“She is one of the most ethical, most responsible persons I have seen in my business in this country,” Chaluvadi told NBC 5, adding that he was preparing for a big birthday party for Thatikonda, who was going to turn 27 on May 18.
“She’s a lot more than an employee. No less than a daughter,” Chaluvadi added. “My feelings about the incident were very unfortunate. Never imagined.”
At the press conference Tuesday, authorities also expressed their gratitude toward the Allen police officer who took down Garcia. The officer’s identity has not yet been made public.
“He undoubtedly saved countless more lives,” Texas DPS Regional head Hank Sibley said.
Zach Horn, a representative for the heroic cop, said in a statement: “The officer sprinted towards high power rifle fire as everyone else ran away. He’s a brave servant with a gentle heart that embodies the best the law enforcement profession has to offer.
“He’s doing well and would appreciate privacy as he continues to process this life altering tragedy.”
Sibley also confirmed that Garcia had eight firearms on him during the shooting, including three on his person and five others in his 2014 Dodge Charger. Sibley reiterated that all the weapons appeared to be legally obtained.
Officials said they are still investigating Garcia’s motive after FBI agents seized the gunman’s phone and computer, with police probing into the shooter’s “neo-Nazi ideologies.”
Sibley said officials are probing social media accounts on forums popular among extremists, where Garcia allegedly made white supremacists posts bashing Jewish people, women, and people of color.
Sibley noted that despite Garcia’s apparent white supremacist leanings, the victims of the mall shooting were people of different “races, ages and sexes.”
Officials added that more will likely be revealed after a thorough sweep of the gunman’s digital devices.
Police, however, did agree that Garcia appeared to target the mall.
In the weeks leading up to the shooting, social media accounts linked to the gunman displayed two dozen photos of the mall, including Google analytics data of when it was the busiest.
