‘A strong group of girls’: 2 years after Walmart shooting, youth soccer team’s bond continues to grow

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Luis Calvillo stands on the sidelines. He's in his element. He's at peace -- doing what he loves.

The head coach of the EP Fusion Soccer team is two years removed from the day when he was shot multiple times in front of the Cielo Vista Walmart.

Several of his players were also there that day. They all survived, but their lives were forever altered.

"My team is a very strong group of girls," Calvillo said "After everything happened, they didn’t have anything to stop them. I’m very grateful that I’m able to stand in these fields to play with them and coach them. Not only coaching them in life, but also in the sport that they love.”

Calvillo lost his father, Jorge Calvillo García, on Aug. 3, 2019. To this day, Calvillo still feels his father's presence.

"He’s always behind me...guiding me through the right paths to go ahead and continue with life,” he said.

The team now has its own field where it plays and practices in far east El Paso. Their bond grows stronger with time. They survived a hate-filled attack.

"Instead of dividing us, we became a stronger community. That’s why El Paso Strong — that's why it means so much to me. Instead of turning our backs against each other, we hugged," Calvillo said.

As a way to honor the 23 victims of the shooting, the team recently unveiled a new mural at their practice site. It has the letters "El Paso Strong", features soccer balls as clouds, and includes 23 stars -- one for each of the victims.

“Once I was able to see it with my own eyes in person, it just felt like those 23 lives were around me, looking at it at the same time," Calvillo said.

He invites the community to go to the mural and reflect on what we've been through over the past two years.

"I felt that we needed to do something symbolic for the lives that we lost and have El Paso come and pay their respects. The mural just symbolizes who we are for our team and the unity that we have.”

The mural is located at 12800 Veta Rica Avenue in far east El Paso. It was painted by local artist Fernando Fernandez.