‘He’s not by himself’: Youngest survivor of Aug. 3 El Paso mass shooting turns 1-year-old
EL PASO, Texas -- Nine months ago, an El Paso mother and father died shielding their infant son from a mass shooter.
This weekend, baby Paul Gilbert Anchondo turned one.
“We want him to remember that everybody here in the El Paso area and our community is supporting him, that he’s not by himself," said Gilbert Anchondo, the baby's grandfather.
On Aug. 3, a shooter killed 23 people at the Cielo Vista Walmart, including Andre and Jordan Anchondo. Both parents made national headlines when they died shielding their son, who was carried away from the danger by a kind stranger.
The child's family hosted a parade Saturday to honor the child's survival of El Paso's most tragic day.
“He’s a symbol of the goodness that came out of it because he brought everyone even more so together," said motorcyclist Joshua Hernandez who participated in the parade.
"Unfortunately his parents aren’t going to be here to celebrate his birthday with him, so we’re going to step up and make sure he has a great first year birthday," said Eduardo Prieto, another motorcyclist who rode in the parade.
