On early Sunday morning, 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire at Pulse – a gay nightclub in Orlando – during a Latino-themed night. At least 50 people were killed, with an additional 50 wounded. As details continue to pour in and people speculate on Mateen’s motives, the City of Orlando has set up a website identifying the victims. Only six people – Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34; Stanley Almodovar III, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 23; Juan Ramon Guerrero, 20; Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36; and Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 – have been named so far. Based on the names released, all of them appear to be Latino. As the LGBTQ community, especially those of color, continue to see their lives threatened, this horrific event is a reminder that the fight for equality is far from over.
Many groups are showing solidarity with Orlando’s LGBTQ community as a result. The Stonewall Inn – the historic NYC bar that became a symbol of gay rights after the violent 1969 street riots – will host a vigil on Monday night starting at 7 p.m. According to Time Out, the Chicago Survivors, which helps families affected by homicides in Chicago, will organize a vigil tonight. And the Tony Awards will honor the victims with tonight’s show.
The City of Orlando will slowly release more information as families and loved ones are notified. So far, only a limited amount of information is available on the victims. Edward Sotomayor Jr., for example, worked as a brand manager for Al and Chuck Travel. Buzzfeed reports that he was well known in Sarasota.
Born in Massachusetts, Stanley Almodovar III lived in Clermont, where he worked as a pharmacy technician. On his social media pages, friends described Almodovar as “bubbly” and “super down to earth.”
Update, 6/13 at 3:00 p.m.: The City of Orlando has notified more families and released almost the full list since this post went live. While more information is released about the shooting, these are the people who we will honor:
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Sulivan, 24 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Check the City of Orlando page for more updates.