By: Joshua Johnson and Savanna DiStefano
The first gunshots were heard a little after 2 a.m., according to witnesses interviewed by CNN. It was Sunday morning, June 12, 2016.
However, for those in Orlando, it was just a Saturday night party at a gay dance club.
Omar Mateen, 23, entered the Pulse nightclub armed with an assault rifle and a pistol. The massacre killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others. According to a surviving witness, the initial gunshots went on for so long that the shooting “could have lasted a whole song,” CNN reported. After a three hour standoff, police broke into the building around 5 a.m., after which Mateen was shot and killed.
In a press conference the following day with the FBI, director James Comey refused to use Mateen’s name in his speech.
“Part of what motivates sick people to do this kind of thing is some twisted notion of fame or glory,” Comey said. “I don’t want to be part of that for the sake of the victims and their families.”
Comey went on to confirm that the shooter made several phone calls to 911 during the attack, pledging loyalty to the leader of ISIL, as well as claiming solidarity with the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing.
“We will leave no stone unturned, and we will work all day and all night to understand the path to that terrible night,” Comey said. “We’re also going to look hard at our own work to see whether there is something we should have done differently. So far, the honest answer is: I don’t think so. … Our work is very challenging. We are looking for needles in a nationwide haystack, but we are also called up to figure out which pieces of hay might someday become needles. That is hard work. If we can find a way to do that better, we will.”
Senior Lucas Curtis, a Florida native, said it makes no difference to him that the attack occurred in his home state.
“This kind of thing can happen anywhere, but we can’t live in fear of it happening to us,” Curtis said. “We just have to put our trust in the Lord.”
Junior Jorden Sims, another Florida native, said he knows several people who frequent gay nightclubs in the Orlando area.
“My first concern was for my friends that I went to middle and high school with,” Sims said. “I wanted to make sure that they were alright. They’re OK. My second thought was why? Why would people do something like this?”
Sims said he read about another Orlando nightclub opening its doors to support those affected by the massacre.
“If a nightclub can show love, support and encouragement like this, shouldn’t the church do the same?” Sims said. “We need to spread the love of Christ, especially to those that are struggling physically, emotionally and spiritually.”
Along these lines, many churches are reaching out in compassion to aid the families of the victims. According to WFLA News out of Tampa, Florida, Pastor Joe Jackson and the congregation of Discovery Church in Orlando have put together a special fund to provide arrangements for the families — whether it be burial services at the church, flowers or just a space to hold a ceremony in celebration of the life of their loved ones.
“You cannot sit here and watch your neighbor struggle, and watch your community struggle, and not feel that passion and not want to do something about it,” Jackson told WFLA on June 14. “We want to do something.”
Local churches are also reaching out in support. Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock hosted an all-day prayer vigil on Tuesday, June 14, to “pray that God’s will might finally be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” according to a statement issued by senior pastor Rev. Britt Skarda on June 13.
“As the story continues to unfold, users of social media find themselves worked up into a feeding frenzy,” Skarda said in the public statement. “Facebook posts, (opinion pieces), tweets and 24-hour news coverage do little to help or heal this tragic situation. After reading Facebook posts and watching CNN reports for several hours, I was left feeling frustrated, exhausted and depressed. In that moment, I realized I needed to shift gears. I turned off the TV, put down my iPhone and prayed.”
Sims said he encourages everyone to think of tangible ways to provide support to those who are suffering.
“I’ve mostly thought about sending out letters of encouragement and love,” Sims said. “Regardless of what a person believes, who they love, what they do – it gives no justification for the actions that occurred.”
