Plano police said the nine people shot and killed at a home during a football watch party on Sunday evening are men and women in their 20s and 30s. A tenth person survived the shooting and is hospitalized.
Police would not identify any of the victims or the suspect during a press conference on Monday afternoon, saying that the department was still making contact with some family members.
By Monday evening, word started to spread in the community about the innocent lives taken in the deadliest shooting in North Texas history.
NBC 5 spoke with two women on Monday evening. Each said they know a victim killed in the shooting.
NBC 5 is not naming the two young men, until their families confirm their identities.
A young woman walked up to the crime scene with a rose in her hand.
The house where the shooting took place along busy West Spring Creek Parkway was still blocked off by yellow police tape.
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“I spoke to an officer this morning, I was pumping gas, and I said ‘I can’t believe this happened. It happened like three miles away from where I live,” said the woman who asked NBC 5 not to identify her.
Little did she know that the tragedy that unfolded Sunday night would hit even closer to her than she initially realized.
“I didn’t know he was in there,” she said bursting into tears.
She found out that her friend of more than ten years was among the eight people killed by a gunman during a football watch party.
“He’s just an amazing, loving, warm beautiful person inside and out with so much joy in his heart,” she said. “He was just a beautiful person and didn’t deserve it.”
The victims’ cars remained parked near the house on Monday evening.
Police covered the license plates of those presumably involved in the shooting.
“Heartbreak to see his car here,” said Zully Romo.
Romo also walked up to the crime scene and zeroed in on a BMW parked near the house, confirming that her friend and co-worker was also among the victims.
“Your hear it but you don’t believe it,” said Romo. “And you still don’t believe it, but you see his car there and all you want to do is wrap yourself around it and see him walk up and say: Hey, let’s go.”
She said he had recently started working at a car dealership where she also works. Romo added that he had a passion for cars.
“He was always walking in, giving you a look in his eyes and gave you a crooked smile that just lighted up your day.”
Police would not comment on the motive behind the shooting.
The shaken community and the victims’ loved ones are left with many questions.
“There’s nothing to really say except for: Why,” said Romo. “Why did this have to happen?”
