The remains of one of the victims of the mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in May have finally been returned to his family in Venezuela.
Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, was reportedly at the outlet mall looking to find a birthday gift for his daughter when he was killed by the shooter in front of Zwilling, a kitchen supply store.
Cumana-Rivas was cremated and transported back to his family in Venezuela with the help of Victims First, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the victims of mass casualty shootings — including the families of people killed in such incidents.
The organization reportedly stepped in to help Cumana-Rivas’ family retrieve the remains after receiving word that multiple issues– such as miscommunication and logistical problems — had occurred between them and the North Texas funeral home holding Cumana-Rivas’ ashes.
Anita Busch, an employee of Victims First, told Fox 4 KDFW that the organization took it upon itself to get the remains to Santos Cumana, Elio’s father. The organization arranged flights for both the remains and Santos, who had to travel to Colombia to receive the remains because they could not be sent directly to Venezuela.
“The United States has no relationship, or a very strained relationship, with Venezuela. So there’s no embassy, and there’s no diplomat to really help in the process,” Busch said.
The organization has launched a fund for the legal heirs of those killed in the Allen shooting. Another fund is also available for survivors.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, an armed former security guard arrived at Allen Premium Outlets and opened fire on shoppers in the area on May 6. A police officer with the Allen Police Department shot and killed him minutes after the onslaught began. However, by that point, the shooter had already shot and killed eight people, including three children.
This mall has since reopened.
“I mean, honestly, can you imagine in your own lives if you couldn’t get your child back? It’s horribly stressful,” Busch told Fox 4. “Don’t let evil take away your faith in God because that’s what it wants to do.”
