More than two weeks after eight people were killed at the Allen Premium Outlets, community members came together to support a Sachse family after losing their two girls Daniela and Sophia Mendoza.
A community vigil was held in honor of two sisters killed in the Allen Premium Outlets mass shooting.
Daniela Mendoza, 11, and Sofia Mendoza, 8, of Sachse were among the eight victims killed by a gunman on May 6. Their mother was one of the seven injured during the shooting.
The vigil Tuesday night was held at Cross Church in Wylie, about three miles away from the girls’ school Cheri Cox Elementary.
“These beautiful girls who touched the lives of many have left an indelible mark upon our lives,” Cheri Cox Elementary principal Krista Wilson said Tuesday night.
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A number of pastors from various local churches spoke Tuesday night, including Joel Halpin with Connection Point Church.
“As we mourn the events of last week, some of us will struggle to find a way to see healing in a moment like this,” Halpin said.
It was a sign of solidarity, as the community mourns amid heartbreak.
“We, gathering here tonight all different people from all different backgrounds and different denominations and different hair textures…this said to me that we’re going to pray to an almighty God and not allow this to infiltrate our communities,” Rick Wood with Pursuit Christian Fellowship said.
This week, the Mendoza family released a statement thanking the community for its support.
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“Sofia and Daniela were our whole world. They were incredibly loved since we learned of their existence,” the statement read in part. “The only thing that gives peace to our grieving hearts is that we know that one day we will be together again. One day we will hear their voices and see their beautiful faces again.”
The statement from the Mendoza family also thanked the medical staff at Medical City in McKinney.
With the outpouring of support for the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub for all verified fundraisers related to the shooting. The online fundraising platform said it was working around the clock to make sure that all funds donated go directly to survivors or the families of victims.
With the outpouring of support for the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub for all verified fundraisers related to the shooting. The online fundraising platform said it was working around the clock to make sure that all funds donated go directly to survivors or the families of victims.
