Texas mall security guard Christian LaCour died after saving shopper
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
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…