Pulse survivors react to Las Vegas mass shooting

'My first thought was there is no way that this is happening again'

ORLANDO, Fla. – When Orlando Torres saw the news of a mass shooting in Las Vegas, he was immediately taken back to being trapped in the bathroom stall at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, when a gunman opened fire killing 49 people and injuring dozens more.

"Those shots were loud in my ears. The only thing separating us from the gunman was the bathroom stall door," he said.

Hearing the gunshots in videos from the Las Vegas concert shooting made him think of the dozens who died there, the hundreds more who were injured and the thousands who were terrorized.

"Ours was the largest mass shooting in U.S. history," Torres said. "Now it's unfortunate to say someone tried to exceed that."

When Norman Casiano saw the news from Las Vegas, he and his partner, Nathaniel Orozco, were also reminded how fortunate they were to have survived the mass shooting at Pulse.

"My first thought was there is no way that this is happening again," Casiano said.

Casiano has tried so hard to keep the thoughts of being trapped in the club with a gunman at bay, but hearing about the Vegas shootings brought them back.

He said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims in Vegas and their families.

"You know my heart goes out to them," he said. "I was crying this morning just thinking what we were going through here and now there's 500 and some change people now going through it there."

"I keep asking myself when is it going to stop? When is there not going to be the next mass shooting?" Casiano said.

Seeing tragic situations brings flashbacks to many. The Center, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Orlando, is offering counseling to anyone who is feeling anxiety after the shootings in Las Vegas.


About the Author:

Emmy Award-winning reporter Louis Bolden joined the News 6 team in September of 2001 and hasn't gotten a moment's rest since. Louis has been a General Assignment Reporter for News 6 and Weekend Morning Anchor. He joined the Special Projects/Investigative Unit in 2014.

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