Thousands gather in Orlando in vigil for mass shooting victims

Thousands gathered in downtown Orlando late Monday to mourn those killed in a deadly shooting at a nearby gay nightclub, listening as church bells tolled 49 times in honor of the victims.

Hoisting rainbow signs and flags on the lawn outside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the crowd heard from Muslim, LGBT and Latino community leaders, and others affected by the Sunday morning attack on Pulse nightclub.

Brittany Torres, 18, of Orlando had made a sign honoring two friends killed in the shooting: Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez and Oscar Aracena-Montero, who had been her manager when she worked at McDonald’s. As she talked about the way he encouraged her to succeed, Torres started to cry.

Her sister, Lesly Colon, 26, also brought a homemade sign for the victims, and recalled Pulse as a special, safe space. It was the first club she went to when she came out five years ago.

Madeline Baez, 44, said she goes to gay clubs with her daughter and accepts who she is. She knows other families have not been as accepting, but that may change in the wake of the shooting, she said.

“A lot of families are coming together just because, ‘What if it’s my child?’” she said.

Jaime Soto, 28, of Orlando also knew some of the victims, including a man killed with his boyfriend who left behind a 5-year-old son. He spotted the boy’s mother in the vigil crowd, wearing a shirt bearing a picture of the couple arm in arm. She began to cry, as did Soto, as they embraced.

“It really shows you it’s just one community. It’s not just LGBT -- it’s affecting us all,” Soto said.

--Molly Hennessy-Fiske