Allen mall shooting survivors still processing emotional trauma one year later
Mall shooting survivors still processing trauma
We're getting closer to the one-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlet Mall that left eight dead and nine others wounded. Two of the survivors talked about the emotional aftermath they continue dealing with one year later.
ALLEN, Texas - We're getting closer to the one-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlet Mall that left eight dead and nine others wounded.
A public memorial service is planned for May 6.
Physically, Irvin Walker has come a long way since the last time FOX 4 saw him when he was sitting in a wheelchair at a news conference at Medical City McKinney, where he was being treated last May.
"The year transpired a lot differently than I anticipated when I was in that hospital," he said.
But as the physical wounds have healed, mentally, Irvin says he's struggling and is in therapy.
Walker, who spoke to FOX 4 with his attorney by his side, says he hasn't been able to go back to work since the Allen shooting.
The 47-year-old former insurance adjuster was shot several times by an armed gunman as he was driving his car through the parking lot of the Allen mall on May 6, 2023.
"Eventually, I had to process what I was going through," he said. "I had to process that I was driving leisurely at a mall, and someone tried to take me away from my family."
Irvin was one of eight adult patients treated at Medical City Healthcare trauma hospitals following the mass shooting that claimed the lives of eight innocent people, including children.
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Allen mall shooting: First responders continue dealing with emotional aftermath of May 6 mass shooting
Police and paramedics as well as dispatchers who answered desperate calls for help are still getting the help they need processing emotions. Allen had mental health programs already in place prior to the tragedy.
The gunman was shot and killed by an Allen police officer who happened to be on site.
Suneetha Pinnamaneni is a wife and mother of two daughters. She's sharing her story for the first time since the mass shooting in a video released by Medical City Plano, where she was treated that fateful day.
"I was so scared when the incident happened, but I was realizing how lucky I was to survive," she said.
Pinnamaneni was shot in the left forearm by the gunman. Now, as part of her emotional healing journey, she’s a volunteer at Medical City Plano.
"I signed up to visit trauma patients in the hospital when they are in a position to meet," she said.
Two survivors are learning to live with the weight of that life-changing day.
"I have an uphill battle coming ahead," Walker said.
Oon Monday, May 6, at 3:36 p.m. – the time the shootings occurred in 2023 – Medical City McKinney and Medical City Plano colleagues, patients and visitors will be invited to share a moment of silence. They will be joining the larger Allen and North Texas community in simultaneous remembrance.