Allen Outlets shooting: Friends of boy left orphaned working on ways to help
ALLEN, Texas - Parents whose children attend school with the 6-year-old survivor of the Allen Premium Outlets mass shooting say they are preparing a long-term support network for William Cho, if and when his relatives are ready for it.
A photo of a kindergarten class at Prestonwood Christian Academy praying Wednesday shows how Saturday's mass shooting made the youngest among us lose some of their innocence.
"We had to cross a new frontier in parenting when you have to sit down with a 6-year-old and explain why his friend wouldn't be in school for a while," said Lorne Book.
"Our 6-year-old son is in the same kindergarten class as William," said Kym Book.
William Cho was the lone survivor of his family's visit to the Allen Premium Outlets.
William was shot and injured, but has since been released from the ICU.
His father, Kyu, mother, Cindy, and 3-year-old brother James were among the 8 victims killed in the shooting.
Allen Outlets shooting victims: What we know
A security guard, an engineer, parents and their young son, two elementary school sisters who loved the color yellow. We are learning more about the people who were killed at the outdoor mall on Saturday.
But for these kids, death is not seen as the end.
"In our family we believe we have an eternal hope, we started the conversation in a very sad way, ended in a hopeful way," said Kym Book. "We believe this is our temporary home, and we will have an eternity together as Christians in heaven with Jesus," said Kym.
The Books say 6-year-old William was the first to befriend their son Judah when he started kindergarten this school year.
"He was talking about his friend William and how they would play ball together, and I could see his demeanor changing," said Kym.
Book snapped a photo of Judah and William at the kindergarten class's Valentine's Day party.
"William wanted to be silly, and I showed that to Judah he laughed so hard, it brought him joy, they were having so much fun at that party," she said.
Now the Books are focused on a plan to support William in whatever way his relatives need, for the long term.
"It makes me proud to hear my kids asking what can we do, when unthinkable tragedy happens Jesus people respond with unthinkable love," said Lorne.
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6-year-old William Cho's mother, father and 3-year-old brother were shot and killed at the Allen Premium Outlets. The family was looking to return clothes that William had just received for his birthday.
Due to a request for privacy, at the moment, the Books and other parents don't know how to reach the caregivers for William Cho, but they do have a message for them.
"There is an army of people waiting to know how they can help, that can be overwhelming, to a family dealing with crisis, so I want them to know that army will stand with them as long as it needs to, today, tomorrow, a year from now, 5 years from now," Book said.
Cho Family Releases Statement
On May 10, the family of William Cho released a statement through Medical City Health, who is treating the 6-year-old:
"Our hearts are broken for our beloved family members who are no longer with us. We are deeply grateful and sincerely appreciate the outpouring of support and prayers. William is recovering well. All of our attention is now focused on ensuring William leads a happy, healthy life with his extended family who love him dearly. We ask that you respect and honor our family’s privacy in the coming days and weeks so that we may mourn and honor our loved ones’ legacies and lives. We are not considering any media interviews at this time. With deep-felt appreciation, William's family."
How to help the Victims
The FBI said that they have spotted multiple fake online fundraisers for the victims of the shooting.
A list of approved and verified fundraisers are available on the City of Allen website.
The city says The Allen, TX Shooting Victims' Fund guarantees that families of the victims and those wounded will receive 100% of the funds.
The Support for Allen Fund will give money to local nonprofit agencies that provide mental health grief and trauma support for victims, their families and first responders.