Among the 49 victims of the Orlando (Florida) killer, all have been identified. The City of Orlando has posted their names on its site, as families are notified. Almost everywhere, testimonies appear on the personalities of these men and women. Their names were Edward, Yilmary, Brenda … and were between 18 and 50 years old.
Edward Sotomayor Jr., known as “Eddie” or “Eddie Top Hat” after the hat he wore at work events, was 34 years old. Originally from Sarasota, Florida, he was a brand manager for a gay travel agency called Al and Chuck Travel, and in that capacity often went on cruises. He had lived in the Dominican Republic, according to his Facebook profile. His friends, his cousin David, describe the always-eager partying man as “a positive, generous person” who was “much more” than the first of the Orlando shooter’s identified victims.
Stanley Almodovar III was 23 years old. Originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, he lived in Clermont, Florida. He was an administrative technician in the pharmaceutical industry. His mother told the “Orlando Sentinel” that Stanley posted a video of him singing and laughing on his way to The Pulse. “I wish I had (this video) to remember him forever,” said Rosalie Ramos, his mother. One of her friends, Hazel Ramirez, also described Stanley as “nice and sassy” and someone very comfortable with his gender identity, she told the “Post”.
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20, was a dancer. He also worked at Starbucks. One of his colleagues, Claudia Mason, wrote on social media that Omar was “lighting up” the space he passed. It’s “so sad that her life was cut off by a bad person!” Pray for Omar’s family, ”she wrote. A former teacher remembers a boy who “was a daily solar ray”. After the attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis on November 13, the young man posted an image on his Facebook profile to show his solidarity with France.
Juan Ramon Guerrero placeholder image, 22, of Dominican descent, had gone to the Pulse with her boyfriend Christopher Andrew Leinonen to listen to salsa. According to his cousin, Robert Guerrero, he worked in telemarketing and had started taking courses several months ago at Central Florida University. “He’s always been a great person, he was like a brother to me.” According to him, “He was happily married with someone who had become a member of the family” and “was not the type to go to parties, but to stay at home to take care of his niece and his nephew”. A friend, Brandon Wolf, saw people carry the bullet-riddled body of his friend Juan outside.
Newsletter – Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien–
Christine, Christopher’s mother, hoped all Sunday that her son was only injured. But she was notified of her death Monday morning, after the work of identifying the bodies in the Pulse. The 32-year-old, originally from Detroit, had moved to Florida with his mother who had raised him alone seven years earlier.
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36, from Puerto Rico, came with her husband Juan Rivera Velazquez, also 36, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Eric and Juan lived in Miami, Florida. Eric had studied at two universities, Bayamon University and Dorado University in Puerto Rico. He was a sales representative at Toys’R’Us
Juan P. Rivzra Velazquez, 37 years old, was a well-known hairdresser and makeup artist in the gay community of Orlando, according to his brother Baron Serrano. He was the co-owner of D’Magazine Salon and Spa.
Peter Gonzalez-Cruz, 22, also known as Peter Ommy, was from New Jersey. He is one of the youngest victims of the shooting. In Florida, he worked for UPS, after being employed at MacDonald. His family was from South Africa.
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25, was with his best friend “Ommy” (above) at the Pulse. He had come from Puerto Rico to Orlando to study management in Health. He worked in a shop.
Luis Vielma, 22 years old. The student at Seminole State College in Florida also worked at Universal Studios in Orlando as a production assistant for the “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” attraction. On Facebook, he had published a few hours before the attack a photo of him with friends, taken at Disney World, evoking “these true friends who become members of the same family”.
JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter saga, was very moved by this disappearance.
Kimberly Morris, 37, lived in Orlando but was originally from Connecticut. She moved to Orlando only a few months ago. She worked at Pulse as a bouncer. “She was so happy,” her ex-girlfriend told the “Orlando Sentinel”. “She had just started working there and told me that she was delighted to be able to get more involved in the LGBT community.”
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years. Part of the assault, taking refuge in the women’s toilets of the nightclub, the young man exchanged messages with his mother. First to say “I love you”. Then “call the police”. And finally poignant “I’m going to die”. He did not survive.
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29, was a financial advisor to students on the campus of the University of Jacksonville (Florida), explains the “Florida Times”. “He always had a smile on his face and was a very nice guy. He definitely leaves a good impression behind and had a strong personality. He will be missed ”, comments the president of the university.
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32, nicknamed “Dee Dee,” was working at The Pulse when the shooting took place.
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old.
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years. The young man was better known by his stage name, Alanis Laurell, and performed as a drag queen. The Drag around the world community shared their grief on Facebook. “An angel is now watching over us”.
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years. His cousin confirmed on Facebook that he was one of the victims. According to his relatives who set up a kitty to be able to offer him a funeral, he was “a man full of life and joy who loved his friends and his family above all.”
According to several media, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez and Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon (below) were in a relationship.
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old. On Facebook, he is described by one of his friends as “a great and vibrant person” who “has always protected and loved his friends”. “His strength and his mind are always an inspiration for us”. His friend confides that both were members of the same parish, working “against the religious tyrants who continued to condemn us because we gave the world what it needed most: love”.
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50, was a visual merchandiser for Forever 21, an American ready-to-wear chain. He also worked around the world as a dancer in Jibaro, a traditional dance from Puerto Rico where he was from.
Amanda alvear, 25, was a nursing student at the University of South Florida. She was at the Pulse with her best friend Mercedes Flores who was also killed.
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old, lived in Davenport, 45 minutes from Orlando. She worked there at Target, a furniture store.
Martin Benitez Torres, 33, had recently arrived in Orlando from Puerto Rico. There he had studied at the University of San Juan.
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35, had a son and worked at Disney Live !, a show given in the United States for children.
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years.
Oscar Aracena-Montero, 26 years. On his Facebook page, his cousin described his “humility, his innocence, his desire to become someone and his love for his family” which “are some of his qualities”.
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30-year-old from Florida was at the Pulse with three friends who were not injured. He had a wife and three children. One of his eight siblings told a local media outlet that he ran a Mexican restaurant with his parents.
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years.
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old.
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 Years. Originally from Puerto Rico, Rodolfo Ayala was a laboratory assistant at an Orlando blood donor center. According to his friends, the young man, who had bought a house and a car a year earlier, almost to the day, was not a night owl. “But when he went out, it was to dance. He loved salsa and all the other Latin dances, ”Rivera Muniz told the Orlando Sentinel.
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years.
Yilmary Rodriguez Sulivan, 24 years.
Angel L. Candelario-Padro. The 28-year-old had recently moved from Chicago to Orlando, with the aim of starting a new life. He had started his new job Thursday at the Florida Retina Institute. In Chicago, he had gone through jobs, going from zumba teacher to hospital technician, or salesman for clothing stores. He was accompanying a friend to the Pulse, who was lucky enough to get away with it alive, but with three bullets in one leg.
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old.
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years.
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years. A former student of Florida Agricultural University, he was a criminal law graduate and US Army reserve captain.
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years.
Enrique Rios Jr, 25 years. According to relatives who spoke to the media, the young man worked at LaGuardia Airport in New York. He lived in Brooklyn and was on vacation in Orlando. According to “The Guardian”, he studied social work and worked in a social center.
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old.
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old.
Cory James Connell, 21 years old.
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old, was the manager and singer of a group called Frequency Band. On Facebook, he describes himself as “an ordinary guy, living an extraordinary life, using the talent God gave him to make the trip”. He lived in Orlando.
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old.
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years.
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years.
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years.
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years.
Akyra Monet Murray, the youngest victim, aged 18. She was in Orlando celebrating her high school graduation diploma the week before. She was supposed to join a college basketball team in Pennsylvania. Akyra, her parents and her 4-year-old little sister came with their family to Florida where Alex, Akyra’s brother, studies. Her parents dropped her off at the Pulse gate at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night, three hours before the attack.
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years.
