WATCH: Heartbroken man sends beautiful message to friends killed in Orlando
Edwin Lopez, a friend of the Orlando massacre victims, has spoken out about the pain of loosing his friends.
The Miami Herald reported that Mr Lopez lost 12 friends in the massacre. He recorded a beautiful tribute to the victims with the news outlet.
“We love you. We miss you. Just be free now you are in a beautiful place. Thanks for everything.” Mr Lopez said.
Mr Lopez described the moment he found out about the Pulse massacre which killed 49 people and injured 53.
He was asleep at the time and woke up to a barrage of texts and calls from friends and family who thought Mr Lopez was at the nightclub.
Friends of Mr Lopez had disappeared during the attack, including Jonathan Camuy. Camuy’s parents had frantically been trying to find him in the aftermath, but he had been killed by the gunman, Omar Mateen.
Camuy’s cousin broke the news to Mr Lopez over the phone. “No. I can’t believe that,” he said.
“I was waiting for someone to say, ‘No, he is alive, he is in the hospital, not good but alive.’ I didn’t want to believe that.”
Pulse was a safe second home to a large community including Mr Lopez and his friends. Following the Orlando massacre, tributes have taken place across the globe and campaign groups are working towards reducing hate crimes against LGBT people.
Vigils have been held in major cities, and groups such as the Human Rights Campaign have called for stricter gun laws.
Watch the full interview with Miami Herald here:
