ORLANDO — “He’s alive. He has to be. He’s too strong. He’s just too strong.”
Bartender Zee Renta was among the first to arrive Monday morning at a senior center serving as a reception area for family and friends of victims of the deadly Pulse nightclub shootings. She held up her phone to show a photo of a handsome young man to the scrum of reporters gathered around her, and gave out her phone number in a quaking voice.
“This is Shane,” she said. “If anybody has seen Shane Tomlinson, please, let us know. We just want to find our friend, that’s all.”
By Monday afternoon, authorities had provided a grim update. Tomlinson, 33, a singer, was one of nearly 50 people shot to death when Omar Mateen, 29, opened fire at the Orlando nightclub early Sunday before he was killed in a shootout with SWAT team members. Tomlinson’s loved ones were among those in a sad parade of bereavement at the community center, and their heaving cries could be heard far outside the perimeter authorities set up to keep reporters at bay.
As victims were identified throughout the day, a few Atlanta connections emerged.
Tomlinson apparently lived in the Atlanta area years ago, a search of public records indicated. Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, who was 35 and worked at Disney Live, was a dancer who gave a memorable performance at the 2014 Atlanta Bachata. Although the annual event focuses on Latin dance and music, Rosado gave a standout performance.
“I’ve been a dancer for 15 years. We’re all young and think we’re indestructible,” said event director Jose Maldonado. “The next thing you know, something like this happens. Somebody so full of life, so young and talented. It wasn’t his time. He had so many dreams.”
Across the city, Orlando grieved and stood together throughout the day. The GLBT Community Center of Central Florida hummed with activity as volunteers mobilized.
Rob Domenico, a member of the board of directors, said carloads of donated food, water and other supplies had been showing up all day. His group’s volunteers were to organize the contributions and planned to take them to counseling centers, area vigils and possibly directly to victims’ families.
“We’re trying our best to be stoic and keep moving forward,” he said. “The one thing we’ve always shined at is being a unified community.”
His organization also has been proud of its welcoming vibe. On Monday, a sign posted on the door alerted visitors that their bags were subject to search.
“We’ve never had security here,” he said. “This is a place where we’ve always left the door open. We welcome everybody. If someone walked in the door, we would ask how could we assist them.”
On Monday, center volunteers were just as welcoming as ever, asking visitors if they’d like a bottled water or anything else. But first, they wrote down each newcomer’s name.
“This has shaken us in ways we never would have imagined,” he said.
Domenico doesn’t yet know for sure how many of the victims he knew.
“At this point, I refuse to look at the list,” he said. “I need to be stoic. I guarantee you there is at least one person that I love on there.”
The day ended with a huge community gathering at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Mayor Buddy Dyer lamented that a city usually known for internationally beloved theme parks and attractions also is now site of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
“Hate will not define us. Hate will not defeat us,” he vowed. “We are one Orlando.”
Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, condemned the act of violence perpetrated by a killer who professed allegiance to Islam.
“Let me first offer my community’s condolences,” he said. “We are deeply hurt.”
He called for Muslim leaders to stamp out radicalization.
“We want to bring an end to the killing,” he said.
Musri earned a roar of applause with those sentiments, an even louder ovation when he called for a ban on assault weapons.
“We have to work hard as a nation to reconsider our gun laws that allow such a massacre to take place,” he said.
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