SAN DIEGO — July 18 marked 40 years since the mass shooting at a McDonald’s in San Ysidro.
On July 18, 1984, a lone gunman walked into the McDonald’s on San Ysidro Boulevard and opened fire killing 21 people, and injuring 19 others. At the time it was the deadliest mass shooting in United States history.
The ordeal lasted over 77 minutes before the gunman was fatally shot by a police sniper.
To honor the victims, a ceremony was held at the Southwestern College Higher Education Center, which now sits on the former McDonald’s property.
There’s also a memorial there with pillars representing the 21 victims.
Among them was 11-year-old David Flores.
His brother spoke at the memorial.
"Watching cartoons, you know, and then all of a sudden, hear this. We interrupt this program, and then I see an aerial shot of this place, McDonald's, and I saw my brother's bike. He was 11. He was with his friends on a bicycle. So, I knew,” said Guillermo Flores.
Guillermo was just 12 years old when his little brother died.
The shooting was one of California's first mass shootings and remains the state's deadliest one.
Guillermo says despite the 40 years that have passed, it still feels like yesterday.
"The pain never goes away. You just learn how to live with it. And that's what I what I told friends, families, whoever needs that you know what? Remember them. They're with you, and if they're with you, then they give you that strength to move forward," he said.
WATCH: McDonald's massacre in San Diego, CA | July 18, 1984