We have an active shooter, we have an after shooting's go ahead of a
quaire with a mass casualty Welcome to Active Shooter, a podcast that covers the
whys, the hows, and the aftermath of active shooter and mass casualty events.
They have an active shooter in a building. A checking calls as they
are big attack of a show. We got jus fires four fifteen as Brouge
ninety one, so i'd like, oh, I'm at a fire, active
shooter. It's of an active shooter, active shooter, active shooter in mass
casualty incidents. Thank you for listening. You are listening to Active Shooter,
a podcast that may contain adult themes, explicit language, and graphic depictions of
violence. Portions of this show may be traumatic for those under eighteen. Listener
discretion is advised. Right now, North Texas is mourning the eight people shot
and killed at an Allen's shopping mall. We are beginning to learn about those
lives taken and tonight. Law enforcement sources have identified the shooter as a thirty
three year old man from Dallas. The shooting at the Allen Park Outlet mall
was a targeted, vicious shooting a directly impacted the fifteen innocent, unsuspecting people
who were shot. Seven survived, while the other eight died. The lives
of hundreds more were destroyed in the aftermath of such a hideous, unspeakable crime.
A family of four was reduced to a sole survivor, while another family
of four became a family of two. The shooting victim's ages ranged from a
tender three years old to sixty one. While the shooting was indeed a planned
attack, there wasn't a specific group of people sought out. No one was
left untouched, no age, sex, race, or religion was singled out.
Everyone was prey. Today's case is dedicated to the lives and memories of
the seven injured survivors and the eight shooting victims. Q Song Cho, Cindi
Cho, James Cho, Christian Liqueur, Daniella and Sophia Mendoza, Ashiwara Tatikonda
and Elio Kumana Rivaz Active Shooter. The podcast is a High five Holly production
and I'm your host j T. If you've listened to our prior episodes,
you know that the act of the Shooter podcast team has taken thee no notoriety
pledge and we will not be sharing the real name to the shooters that we
cover. We will be giving the shooters a pseudonym and refer to them by
that name throughout the episode. This will help in clearing up any confusion in
the story. While remaining true to our pledge and not naming the shooter by
their actual name, we will refer to today's shooter as Randall. Saturday May
sixth, twenty twenty three was a hot, sticky day. Temps were in
the nineties and many residents of Allen, Texas were seeking relief from the extreme
heat inside the many different stores that made up Allen Premium Outlets Mall. Because
it was a weekend, the mall was at its busiest. However, that
coupled with the extreme temperatures, meant the entire place was swarming with people at
every turn. The mall, which is owned by Simon Property Group, is
a large outdoor shopping center with over one hundred twenty name brand and designer stores
and sits at eight to two zero West Stacey Road, Allen, Texas.
Allen, Texas is located within Collin County and is populated with one hundred four
thousand, six hundred residents. The city and affluent suburb of the Dallas Fort
Worth Metroplex area sits approximately twenty five miles north of Dallas. At approximately three
thirty six pm, thirty three year old Randall drove a twenty fourteen gray Dodge
Charger towards the mall. He was dressed head to toe in black and wore
a black tactical vest which bore a patch that read RWDS. Also known as
right wing death Squad, which is a phrase often used among white supremacists and
right wing extremists. Randall wasn't taking a Saturday cruise to the mall to wander
around intimidating others with his menacing look. He was carrying an AR fifteen style
rifle and numerous magazines loaded with ammunition, and he was planning to carry out
an attack and his mission was to murder as many shoppers as possible. Upon
pulling into the parking lot of the mall, Randall parked near the H and
M store, exited his vehicle and immediately began firing into a small crowd of
people standing just outside of the store. We got so far at the Alamo
start at the shoppers started running desperate to find shelter or safety somewhere, Yet
they weren't all fully certain where the shooting was coming from, making it nearly
impossible to know where to hide. Some people took cover behind parked cars,
while others laid in storage areas and back hallways in and around the mall.
I started praying. I was rocking on my knees and praying. They were
praying. Everybody was just kind of having their own moment, trying to reach
loved ones. I'm trying to text my family for what I thought was my
last moments, to be honest. Thirty seven year old Q Song Chow and
his thirty five year old wife, Cindy Cho were among those outside of the
mall who were shot and killed. The couple was at the mall with a
three year old James, who survived the shooting. James was held briefly in
the ICU before being released as an orphan. Q and Cindy were described as
quote family oriented pillars in their community, and Cindy specifically was said to be
quote the sweetest, most caring and positive person. The little family regularly attended
a Bible study and belonged to a Fellowship group. At the New Song Church
just outside of Dallas. Q was an immigration attorney who chose that particular field
after his own experience as an immigrant in the early nineties. Cindy was a
dentist who went by the professional name of Cindy Kang at her practice. Their
sweet boy, James loved elephants and had a shining smile. He was the
absolute light of his parents' lives. James's daycare teacher said the youngster was a
brilliant child who could read and write his own name at merely three years of
age. A GoFundMe was established for James, and it raised over one point
eight million dollars. Meanwhile, a mother and daughter were shopping inside of a
nearby Haines Brand's store when they saw a man exiting his vehicle carrying a large
weapon. The manager of the store also saw the man and hurriedly rushed all
customers into the back room after locking the front door to the store. A
minute after the shooting began, a police officer who was at the mall on
an unrelated call heard gunshots and called for backup, running towards the sounds of
the rapid gunfire. By three forty p m Multiple nine one one. Calls
were streaming in witness Where are they at right now? Do you have eyes
on the shooter? Perry Ellis who was in front of Perry Alice walking on
Harry and over lash Alan one A one Are you calling about the shooting?
Yes, we got a victim. We got a victim there and Boutiste six.
It's the fleet start. We have health on the way. We do
have medics in the area right now. Shooting victim inside Francesco's. So where
this story. Okay, You're gonna stay right where you're at until you hear
the police officers say you can come out. Okay, Okay, just stay
right where you are and if anything else happened there, anyone's hurt, you
call us back, but they are already clearing out stores. They'll be with
you as fast as they can. Within three to four minutes, fifteen people
were shot, including twenty year old security guard Christian Isaiah LeCour Christian was born
on January fourteenth, two thousand and three, in Farmersville, Texas. He
graduated from Farmersville High School before going on to become a security officer for Allied
Security. Christian was the person we all need in life. He was quick
to sing a tune make you laugh, and he listened with an open heart
and always knew the right advice to offer. Christian never cared what others thought
of him, and people said his hugs could make almost anything better. Friends
described him as a gentle giant who quote always had a song in his heart.
His most treasured time was spent lounging in his bean bag, wearing a
bathrobe and his beloved cat slippers, and playing video games. Christian is survived
by his parents, three sisters, and brother. He also leaves behind a
loving girlfriend and two feline and fur babies. All of the shooting victims were
outside of the mall, and by all accounts, Randal never even made it
inside of the mall. A witness later reported seeing a man fleeing the scene,
clutching onto his neck, which was stained bright red from the flow of
bloods surging out. Yet another witness managed to get her daughter and herself into
her car, believing they were no longer in danger, until she felt her
vehicle being struck not once, but twice by bullets from the shooter. Mercifully
they were unharmed. The same couldn't be said for sisters, eleven year old
Daniella and eight year old Sophia Mendoza. The young sisters were at the mall
shopping with their mother, Ilda, who was also shot yet survived for physical
injuries after a stint in the ICU. Both Daniella and Sophia attended Sherry Cox
Elementary School in Wiley, isd and the school's principal said that both girls were
quote rays of sunshine and most everyone adored them. A massive memorial was made
up of flowers, balloons, and toys and was erected in front of the
school, and yellow ribbons were tied around trees while staff and students or yellow,
both girls favorite color, to assist the students and staff in processing their
green. The Canine Comfort Ministry of Lutheran Church Charities visited the students in the
days following the shooting. The sisters were both cheerleaders and though they loved school,
each was looking forward to the summer break that was only two weeks away.
Sophia was an honorable student who was learning about organisms, fractions, and
weather patterns. Besides her general studies, she was a lover of the drama
department and had been diligently studying her lines as the lead in the upcoming play
Pirate Jane. At school. The day before the shooting, Sophia created a
scrap book wherein she called herself Sassy and described her dreams for the future,
a future she deserved to fulfill. Daniello was close to graduating from the fourth
grade, and at a recent awards ceremony, the young girl was named most
likely to become a teacher. The sweet young lady wore black rimmed glasses and
little bows in her hair, conjuring a heartbreaking image of an innocent little girl
who didn't deserve to die in such a brutal manner. Over two hundred and
forty thousand dollars was raised through a GoFundMe for the family of sisters. Randa
was reported to have been shooting at random, as though he had no specific
target. No he didn't particularly care about whom he shot. He simply wanted
to kill. Another of the shooting victims was twenty six year old Aishwara Tatikonda,
who was shopping with a friend when she was shot and killed. Some
sources indicate her age to be twenty seven, and it is unclear which is
accurate. Aihawara was born and raised in Hyderabad, India, and came to
the United States to attend Eastern Michigan University, where she graduated in December of
twenty twenty with a Masters of Science in Construction Management. She was a project
manager for Perfect General Contractors LLC and Frisco Texas and was said to have an
incredibly bright future as a civil engineer and indeed, the owner of Perfect General
intended to name Aishawara as CEO in the coming months, saying that she was
dedicated to growing the company. Becoming CEO is a hard earned achievement that she
will never get to realize. During her college years at e MU, she
became a proud member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was known to
be extremely meticulous and thorough. Aihawara's remains were flown to Hideerabad on May tenth
so a proper funeral could be held among her family and friends in India.
From there, her remains were taken to the Nagol Cremation Grounds where her last
rites were performed. Her father, a district court judge in India, along
with the rest of her family and loved ones deeply mourn her passing. The
last of the shooting victims was thirty two year old Elio Kumana Rivas. Elio
was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and had only lived in the United States
for a few months before his violent death. His brother reports that Elio fled
from the savagery of their home country, arriving in the US in October of
twenty twenty two hours before the shooting. His older brother, who also decamped
Venezuela, was leaving the immigration office when he received a phone call from a
mutual friend who told him that Elio was at the mall where a mass shooting
happened. He was devastated. They escaped from a country filled with chaos and
brutishness, only for a life to be lost in such a senseless attack.
Elio was affable and courteous to others and worked diligently to send money home to
support his family in Venezuela. He was at the Outlet mall that day accompanying
a friend who was searching for a birthday present for their daughter. A memorial
for Elio was held at Pylar Funeral Home in Garland, Texas. Stephen Spain
Hower and O Army veteran and retired police officer was contacted by his son,
who was an employee at H and M. His son told him about the
shooting, and by instinct, Stephen rushed to the mall seeking a way to
assist. When he arrived, he came upon several injured shoppers, and he
attempted to perform CPR in three separate victims, but he wasn't able to save
them. However, Stephen wasn't deterred, and he continued looking for ways to
help. He found a young boy who was covered in blood after seeking shelter
beneath his deceased mother, and Stephen managed to coax the boy to come with
him to safety. The attack was brief but deadly. By three forty p
m. The Allen Police Department confirmed that the responding officer, who was already
at the mall, was able to quote stop the threat and neutralize the shooter.
The officer made contact with Randall just outside of the Fatburger restaurant and they
exchanged gunfire before the officer shot and killed Randall at four twenty two p m.
First responders began the laborious process of evacuating shoppers from within the stores they
located and aided many living survivors and witnesses, though sadly they came across an
astounding amount of blood and death. The scene was somber and devastating. Several
witnesses sheltered for up to two hours after the shooting patiently, and they were
desperately waiting for police to locate them and assure them that it was all over.
Groups of people were escorted from the stores and mall, and an officer
was overheard telling the group that if any of them had children, they should
cover their eyes. The site was one you could never unsee, and no
one needed that added trauma. People quietly walked single file out of the mall
and into a world that no longer made sense. Victims were rushed to various
local hospitals, including Medical City Plano, Medical City McKinney, and Medical City
Children's Hospital. Bomb sniffing dogs were taken around the perimeter of the mall and
parking lots, searching for any traps that the shooter may have set in his
wake. Three firearms were located on Randall's person, and an additional five guns
were found in his car. Though only one was actually used in the shooting.
It was also discovered that Randall was staying at an extended stay hotel in
Northwest Dallas, a hotel that was often described as transient lodging. Search warrants
were obtained and executed on the hotel, specifically Randall's room, and a private
residence in Northeast Dallas. The house in Northeast Dallas was located on a sleepy
suburban street and belonged to Randall's parents. The FBI was at the house within
an hour of the shooting, and they had the entire street blocked off for
hours. Multiple items of interest were removed, including three boxes of ammunition with
miscellaneous loose rounds, pictures, six hand written notes, a knife and a
holster, a rifle, handguard, handcuffs, a gun, holster, two
black house that's one with the saying killing it and the other with security printed
on it, and several other unidentified items. Neighbors say the family lived there
for many years and they were all well liked. Several say that Randall appeared
disconnected and aloof, though not threatening in any manner, he just seemed to
keep to himself. Thirty three year old Randall was born and raised in northeast
Dallas. He attended and graduated from Brian Adams High School in Cassaview, Texas,
a suburb of Dallas. After he graduated, Randall enlisted in the United
States Army in June of two thousand and eight, but he never completed basic
training. After about three months, he was terminated due to mental health concerns.
But, and this is critically important, his termination did not appear in
the National Instant Criminal background check system. Due to the discharge being an administrative
separation and not a disciplinary discharge, there was nothing barring this young man from
obtaining way weapons of any kind. At some point after his discharge from the
Army, Randall worked for an aluminum supply company, though it doesn't appear that
that job lasted long. He eventually secured a job as a security guard,
working for at least three different companies over the years. The security job offered
firearms training along with Level two and Level three security training, which is required
for all personal protection and commissioned security officers in Texas. The training includes the
aforementioned firearms training as well as the demonstration of firearm proficiency. In other words,
despite the lack of military instruction, Randall was well trained and extremely skilled
with a weapon. In the weeks prior to the shooting, Randall was living
in the motel and he spent free time perusing social media sites where he possessed
membership, including a Russian platform where he posted neo Nazi and white supremacist content.
Randall often expressed distaste for women, racial minorities, and Jews, and
this content was posted as recently as days before the shooting. He also displayed
photos of himself bearing Nazi tattoos such as a swastika and the SS Lightning Bolt
logo. He used anti Asian and anti Arab slurs, and shared quotes from
far right sources. As if that content wasn't disturbing enough, Randall celebrated other
mass shooters, like the twenty twenty three Nashville school shooter and the twenty fourteen
Ila Vista murders. Anyone with an obsessive interest in such topics, particularly those
who eulogized mass shooters, should immediately raise serious red flags. Three weeks before
the shooting, Randall posted pictures of the outlet mall's entrance, as well as
screenshots of a page that displayed the mall's peak hours. He discussed his dreams
about race wars and society's demise, and in one post, Randal described himself
as an incel, which we've covered in greater detail in other episodes. The
Oxford Dictionary describes an inceel as a member of an online community of young men
who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are
hostile towards women and men who are sexually active. His online account showed zero
friends and no comments from others, and as such it is believed that the
account was used as an online diary of sorts. The platform he chose to
express these disgusting views on has little to no content moderation, making it a
popular choice among those who choose to express extreme opinions. Not long before the
shooting, Randal created and posted a note which was comprised of over five hundred
words and believed to be a possible suicide note. The letter detailed fantasies and
included pop culture references as well as proclamations of self aggrandizement. The note was
long and rambling, and often quoted phrases from the show South Park In several
other movies or shows, along with many of his own, including quote,
even if I did go to a psychologist, They're not going to be able
to fix whatever's wrong with me. Besides that shit's expensive. Another post made
by Randall expressed indignation towards family members who quote mocked any attempt I made to
be masculine and told me I was disturbed he made concerning references to the Noble
War, which is a phrase that white supremacists use to describe their presumption of
a race war. Not one of Randall's posts were commented upon, nor were
any liked or shared by other members. All of the weapons that Randall possessed
were legally purchased, though over a period of time and not all at once,
which may have raised suspicion Randall's mother and stepfather, who owned the home.
The police searched, o paraded, with authorities offering any insight they could.
The precise motive is unknown. He seemed to hate anyone who didn't look
or act just like him. Why Randall selected the outlet mall, the specific
date or time will likely never be known. The president ordered flags to be
lowered to half staff and remained there through the following Thursday in honor and recognition
of the victims. Days after the shooting, on May eighth and ninth,
mall patrons were permitted with a mall security escort to go and retrieve their cars
that sat in the otherwise vacant parking lot. The mall reopened on May thirty
first, twenty twenty three, although each individual store was reopened at the discretion
of their respective owners. The police officer who shot and killed the shooter was
officially cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury decision on June twenty sixth,
twenty twenty three. The jury felt that the state law justified the use of
force. We will never know how many lives were saved or how much more
devastating the shooting would have been if not for this immediate intervention. You see,
we all have the unique ability to help prevent such a catastrophic event from
happening if we keep our eyes and ears open and never hesitate to report when
something or someone just doesn't seem right. With the delicate balance of mental health
reform, education, active shooter training, and common sense gun laws, we
may one day realize the dream, the dream that there will be no more
active shootings. We pray that love will prevail over hate. In the meantime,
we urge our listeners to stay aware of your surroundings and keep in touch
with your loved ones. If you see something, say something, you never
know how many lives you'll be saving. Thank you for listening to today's episode
of Active Shooter the Podcast. Remember, if you see something, say something,
there's no telling how many lives you may be saving. A big thank
you to Darren Curtis, who composed some of the songs on our show.
You can find him online at www dot Darrencurtis music dot com. Make sure
to check us out on social media. You can find us on Facebook at
Active Shooter the Podcast and on Twitter at podcast Active. Thank you and be safe.