Three out of the four members of the Cho family – husband Kyu Song Cho (37), wife Cindy Cho (35), and son James (3) – were shot to death in the shooting that occurred on May 6 at the mall in Allen, while the couple’s six-year-old son William was injured and is now recovering after being treated at a hospital.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help the victims with funeral expenses and to support the surviving family member. The page has raised nearly $1.5 million in less than a day.
As of the afternoon of May 9, more than 290,000 people have donated, and $1,473,310 have been raised, surpassing the original goal of $50,000.
At the bottom of the page, donors have also posted condolences, especially for the only survivor of the Cho family, William.
William was shot in the shoulder and taken to the intensive care unit but is now out of the hospital and recovering, according to GoFundMe.
Comments on the fundraising page include messages such as “William, your mom and dad will always be with you,” “I’m sorry as an adult, I’m so sorry, I’ll be praying for you,” and “I can’t imagine the pain William must be feeling after losing his entire family at such a young age. May he find the strength and courage to find peace and comfort in his life” in English and Korean.
The Korean American Association of Dallas released a statement on its website about the mass shooting in Allen.
The statement said, “The news of the sudden death of a beautiful Korean-American family, who were members of our compatriot community, had a good reputation, and were practicing their faith, is very unfortunate and causes great sadness to all of us.”
“We realize that the Korean community is no longer safe and that there is a reason for the Korean community to be more vigilant,” the statement continued, referring to the highly controversial shooting at Hair World Salon in Dallas last year and the shooting at Happy Day tavern in April.
“While shootings across the U.S. are not uncommon, we urge you to pay special attention to your safety in areas with large crowds,” the statement said.
The Korean American Association of Atlanta also issued a condolence statement on May 8, emphasizing the need for stricter gun control and calling for “thorough background checks for gun purchasers. We really hope that something like this will not happen again.”
Hyung-kwon Park, chairman of the Korean American Crime Prevention Committee, urged, “It is difficult for us to prevent such incidents because the perpetrators are often mentally ill, but we must continue to interact with other communities and prevent hate crimes from being nurtured.”
The Dallas Korean American Association will hold a memorial service at its office (11500 N. Stemmons Fwy #160) from May 9 through May 13 to mourn the victims of the shooting, including the Korean American family.
BY JIAH YOON [support@koreadaily.com]
