Families of victims struggle to say goodbye, can’t escape the constant sight of shooter Omar Mateen’s face on TV
ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — People marched down Orlando streets with rainbow flags and others lined up to wait hours for a “One Pulse” tattoo on Saturday as supporters tried to boost the somber city’s spirits while more victims of last weekend’s nightclub shooting were buried.
Across from Cathedral Church of St. Luke, where Christopher Andrew Leinonen’s funeral was held, hundreds lined the street holding “We Support You” and other signs. The 32-year-old Leinonen was with his friends at Pulse early Sunday when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire, leaving 49 club-goers dead and wounding 53 others. Mateen died later after being shot by police.
Brandon Wolf was with Leinonen and shooting victim Juan Ramon Guerrero. The 27-year-old Wolf managed to make it out alive.
He says Leinonen, whom he called Drew, changed his life, and eased his pain when he was hurting.
“He looked me in the eyes that night and did what Drew always did, he said ‘I love you,’” Wolf said. “That is Drew’s lasting message to us, ‘I love you.’”
He called Leinonen “my once in a lifetime person. He eased my pain when I was hurting, he laughed at my worst jokes.”
Investigators are still interviewing witnesses, and looking to learn more about Mateen and others who knew him well, including members of his mosque.
A lawyer for the Council of American-Islamic Relations said that the FBI interviewed a man who worshiped at the same mosque as Mateen. Omar Saleh said he sat in on the Friday interview at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, the same mosque that Mateen attended near his home.
Saleh said the interview lasted about 30 minutes. FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty declined to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Around Orlando people prayed on the street and left balloons, flowers, pictures and posters to honor the victims.
Dozens of people waited two to three hours at Realm Tattoos to get one of the recently drawn “One Pulse” tattoos etched into their skin. The tattoos are free, but people are encouraged to leave a donation for the victims, which will be distributed by Southern Nights, another Orlando nightclub.
Jonathan Betancourt, 36, the shop’s owner, said he was surprised at how fast the community came together in such a short time.
“We love to tattoo. This is what we live for. Come in, show your love,” Betancourt said. “You always got to pay it forward. This is my way to pay it forward.”
The Orlando Sentinel reports that aspiring firefighter Cory James Connell, who was among those killed in Pulse, was named an honorary one during a service Saturday to honor his life.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs made the proclamation that officially made 21-year-old Connell, a regular at the Orange County Fire Rescue, a firefighter.
Still, for Jeannette McCoy, who also made it out alive on Sunday, the love and support can only do so much to help. It’s a temporary balm, she said, and she worried that while life may return to normal for some people after the world’s attention moves on, it won’t for Orlando’s LGBT community.
“All of this has been so traumatizing,” she said. “The way that our community has been impacted, it’s just so unfortunate. We have so many wonderful lives that have been lost. When we look at all these crosses, and all these faces, all these stories, it hurts. It hurts so much.”
Family members of those killed say the grief and anger they’re feeling is just beginning. They’ve been too numb this week to really feel much of anything since Sunday’s massacre.
And they say it’s been especially tough for them to see constant images of Mateen’s face on television.
“I’m still in a state of shock so the anger and hatred for Chris’s killer has not fully kicked in,” said Mark Bando, Leinonen’s father, who is a retired Detroit police officer. “Those of us who have to go on living our lives without Christopher can surely feel sorry for ourselves but the real tragedy is Christopher’s future has been taken from him.”
As reported by The Times of Israel