El Paso Walmart shooting victims: What we know about those killed, injured
EL PASO, Texas -- In the border town of El Paso, Texas, a gunman opened fire Saturday morning, leaving 22 people dead and more than two dozen injured. On Monday, local officials released the following list of victims who were killed. Here are some of their stories:
JORDAN ANCHONDO, 34
Jordan Anchondo was among those killed in El Paso, Anchondo's sister said, and she apparently died while protecting her 2-month-old son from the hail of bullets.
Leta Jamrowski of El Paso spoke to The Associated Press as she paced a waiting room at the University Medical Center of El Paso, where her 2-month-old nephew was being treated for broken bones - the result of his mother's fall.
"From the baby's injuries, they said that more than likely my sister was trying to shield him," she said. "So when she got shot she was holding him and she fell on him, so that's why he broke some of his bones. So he pretty much lived because she gave her life."
Jordan, a mother of three, and Andre Anchondo had dropped off her 5-year old daughter at cheerleading practice before going to shop for school supplies on Saturday at a Walmart in El Paso. They never returned.
ANDRE ANCHONDO, 23
Andre Anchondo - the husband of Jordan Anchondo - had recently turned his life around after struggles with drug dependence and run-ins with the law, a friend recalled.
On Sunday night, John Jamrowski, the grandfather of Jordan Anchondo, said in a text message that his family has been notified of Andre Anchondo's death.
Friend Koteiba "Koti" Azzam had fond memories of Andre Anchondo.
"I love the guy," Azzam said in a phone interview from San Marcos, Texas. "He had the character and the charisma."
Azzam said Andre Anchondo had started a business in El Paso, building things from granite and stone, and made it successful through hard work. He also was on the verge of completing a family home.
"It makes you question your faith almost," said Azzam, who is Muslim. "But God didn't have a part in it. The hands of man altered my friend's life in a drastic way."
ARTURO BENAVIDES, 60
Arturo Benavides, a U.S. Army veteran who retired as a bus driver a few years ago, was checking out at the Walmart store when the gunman entered.
His niece, Jacklin Luna, told the Los Angeles Times that 60-year-old Benavides was among those killed. His wife, Patricia, was sitting on a nearby bench and was pushed into a bathroom for safety, Luna said.
Benavides, who was born and raised in El Paso, had worked as a bus driver for El Paso's Sun Metro.
"I spent my childhood waking up at their house, sitting out on the front porch with him on Sunday mornings, listening to the oldies on the radio," said Luna, who described him as kind and generous.
His nephew, Ruben Rojas, said Benavides was an "easygoing" man who enjoyed watching sports and was also a good Roman Catholic who went to Mass.
LEONARD CIPEDA CAMPOS, 41
MARIA & RAUL FLORES, 77
JORGE CALVILLO GARCIA, 61
ADOLFO CERROS HERNANDEZ, 68
ALEXANDER GERHARD HOFFMAN, 66
DAVID ALVAH JOHNSON, 63
LUIS ALFONZO JUAREZ, 90
MARIA EUGENIA LEGARREGA ROTHE, 58
ELSA LIBERA MARQUEZ, 57
MARIBEL LOYA, 56
IVAN HILERTO MANZANO, 56
Ivan Manzano, who had a 5-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, was from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and ran a business that supplies orthopedic implants.
His wife, Adriana Manzano, learned from the FBI that he was killed in the shooting in the Walmart. She traveled to the Mexican consulate in El Paso on Monday to repatriate her husband's body, and said he was known by everyone as friendly, calm - "very practical."
Adriana Manzano said she has told her children only that their father had died in an "accident," believing that giving a full explanation might generate resentments.
GLORIA IRMA MARQUEZ, 61
MARGIE RECKARD, 63
SARAH ESTHER REGALDO MORIEL, 66
JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, 15
Javier Amir Rodriguez, 15, was starting his sophomore year in high school when he was fatally shot at the store.
The Clint Independent School District, which identified the teen as being among the victims Monday, said he attended Horizon High School in El Paso.
The district said it had been in contact with his family and sent condolences. Valeria Chavez, a cousin of the youth, told KFOX-TV that Rodriquez was at the Walmart with an uncle who described what happened.
"He told me my cousin had made eye contact with the shooter and they were in the bank and as soon as the shooter walked in, he grabbed my cousin. He says he saw the shooter shoot him," Chavez said.
The school district said counselors would be available, and a vigil was set for Monday night at the high school's football stadium.
TERESA SANCHEZ, 82
ANGELINA SILVA-ELISBEE, 86
JUAN VELAZQUEZ, 77
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MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IDENTIFIES CITIZENS KILLED
Mexico's Foreign Ministry identified eight citizens who were killed in the shooting. They are:
- Sara Esther Regalado of Ciudad Juarez
- Adolfo Cerros Hernández of Aguascalientes
- Jorge Calvillo García of Torreón
- Elsa Mendoza de la Mora of Yepomera
- Gloria Irma Márquez of Juárez
- María Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, originally of Chihuahua
- Ivan Filiberto Manzano of Ciudad Juárez
- Juan de Dios Velázquez Chairez of Zacatecas
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The following victims were injured in the shooting:
MARIO DE ALBA
Mario de Alba, 45, had come to El Paso with his family from Mexico to go shopping.
Described by his sister Cristina de Alba as an "excellent father" and as a "decent, hardworking person," he was in serious condition Sunday after being shot in the back, the bullet exiting via his diaphragm.
His wife, Olivia Mariscal, and 10-year-old daughter Erika both appear to be recovering after also being wounded, de Alba said from the El Paso hospital where her brother is being treated.
The family lives in Chihuahua, Mexico -- a four-hour drive south of El Paso -- and was buying school supplies in the Texas city. El Paso is a popular shopping destination for people who live in northern Mexico.
Mario de Alba's Facebook page shows him as a devoted father to Erika.
In one picture, taken in a living room, Erika cups her hand in the shape of a heart in front of an entertainment center. 0n the shelves behind her are the words FAMILY and PEACE in bold letters.
JESSICA COCA GARCIA and MEMO GARCIA
Jessica Coca Garcia and Memo Garcia were at the Walmart in El Paso to raise funds for a youth sports team one of their children played on when a gunman opened fire, wounding them, a relative says.
Norma Coca told Wichita, Kansas-television station KWCH that her daughter and son-in-law were near the front doors of the Walmart when they were shot.
Coca, who lives in Salina, Kansas, said her daughter, Jessica Coca Garcia, was shot three times in the leg. She says her son-in-law, Memo Garcia, was shot twice in the leg and once in the back. She said her daughter was in stable condition and her son-in-law was in critical condition.
Jessica Coca Garcia's father, Don Coca, said they have family in the El Paso area who were able to be with the couple. Don Coca says: "She was just crying ... I told her that our prayers are there and we're on our way."
The couple's 5-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter were also at the Walmart and were not shot.
MARIBEL LATIN
Maribel Latin was shot in her arm and her foot outside of the Walmart. Speaking to ABC News from her hospital bed, she recalled the harrowing shooting: "He shot at us individually...and then he came walking toward us to make sure we all got shot again and killed...He shot eight more rounds and all I could say was, 'God, please take care of my children and please don't let him do anything to [my daughter]."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
