Flowers and hand-written messages continue to be added at a memorial honoring eight victims killed in a mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets.
Dianne Barton of McKinney is a third-grade teacher in Allen and paid her respects Thursday.
"Just being a school teacher. I have two young boys. This hits home. Before they released the names, I was just praying and praying that it wasn’t one of my kids,” Barton said. “I can’t even imagine how the schools are feeling, how the teachers are feeling. This isn’t fair.”
Barton, like many people who have stopped at the memorial this week, did not know any of the eight victims personally. Though, her heart aches for their families. Three of the eight victims belong to one family. Cindy and Kyu Cho were killed, along with their 3-year-old son James. Their 6-year-old son William is the sole survivor of the family.
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“Just imagining having my son who’s 4, like…living life without his family. I can’t even wrap my brain around it,” Barton said. “That’s not fair to this little boy. It’s not fair. It’s not fair to him.”
As of Thursday, William Cho is no longer listed among those receiving care at Medical City Children’s Hospital. In an updated press release, the hospital group said the remaining five shooting victims in their care were continuing to improve. The list now includes three patients in fair condition, one in good condition at Medical City McKinney, and one in good condition at Medical City Plano.
No patients are listed under critical condition, according to Medical City Healthcare.
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On Thursday evening, a Carrollton church held private memorial services in honor of the Cho family. Earlier this week, a statement from the family requested privacy, and “all of our attention is now focused on ensuring William leads a happy, healthy life with his extended family who love him dearly.”
Tara Maldonado of Garland works in Allen and dropped off a bouquet of flowers on Thursday. Maldonado told NBC 5, she understands the pain that comes with losing a child. Her 23-year-old son Ruben died in 2021 from an unexpected illness.
While she did not know any of the victims, she knows the heartbreak that comes with losing family so suddenly.
“I know what loss is like. I went through so much loss,” Maldonado said.
For that reason, she said she felt compelled to pay her respects.
“It’s just like a warm heart feeling that so many people care in world. There is so much hatred,” she said. “I pray for the families every night. They have my deepest sympathy.”
On Friday, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council will observe one minute of silence in honor of the victims of the mass shooting.
