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Jury selection began Thursday in the trial of the widow of the Orlando Pulse shooter, nearly two years after the slaughter at the gay Florida nightclub that left 49 dead and scores wounded. Gunman Omar Mateen’s widow, 31 year-old Noor Salman, faces charges of aiding her husband and lying to investigators. (more…)
Suspected Florida shooter, Nikolas Cruz repeatedly supported homophobic, racist and anti-Semitics views in a private Instagram group chat.
The 19-year-old, who opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in Florida killing 17 people “espoused racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic views” in a private Instagram group chat, CNN is reporting.
He used a legally purchased AR-15 in the 3rd most deadly school shooting in the US.
In the group, which was called Murica Great, CNN reports that racism was a “constant” theme. CNN found that there were hundreds of racist memes, messages and Instagram videos. CNN reports that Cruz wrote that gay people should shot in the back of the head. The statement came as a response to another user of the group, who expressed a hatred towards gay people. CNN was unable to confirm the identities of the group’s users.
Cruz joined the conversation in August 2017 and is believed to be between six people.
Cruz’s Instagram, Twitter, YouTube accounts have now been removed.
According to reports teachers at the school were sent out an email by the administrators warning them about threats that Cruz is alleged to have made. Math teacher, Jim Gard told the Miami Herald, “There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus.”
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland is the third most deadly school shooting in the US, with Virginia Tech in 2007 remaining the deadliest with 32 fatalities. Sandy Hook comes second with 27 dead.
Florida was the scene for one of the worst mass shootings in US history in 2016, when a gunman killed 49 people at a gay club in Orlando. The shoot was eclipsed in 2017 when a shooter killed 58 people at an open-air concert in Las Vegas.
Retirement springs to mind when I hear about Florida, especially when the state boasts the highest percentage of people over the age of 65. It’s the centre of juicy oranges, the birthplace of commercial aviation, and thanks to the likes of Disney – tourism is the engine that drives Florida. I questioned why I’d choose to travel to Fort Lauderdale, instead of neighbouring gay Miami (30 miles) or gay haven Key West (approx. 189 miles away) and was surprised to find numerous gay exclusive hotels in the Fort Lauderdale area. Ideally situated near the oceanfront, I was welcomed by gay owned and operated – The Grand Resort & Spa. A reserved and refined resort that has plenty of touches, such as: the 24-hour access to the friendly and professional front desk team, pool/jacuzzi, unlimited towels, selection of housekeeping services, hot breakfast, fully equipped large kitchen/living room (in penthouse suite), quality toiletries including mouthwash. They all making a stay extraordinarily fresh and very comfortable.
Although The Grand Resort has its own award-winning spa, I ventured out (or I would never leave the resort) to the newly opened Hush Spa situated in Fort Lauderdale’s gay area of Wilton Manors. Spoilt for choice from the all-male focused indulgent menu, I opted for one of their signature massages, and if you enjoy precision with elements of nurturing, then I think any service would be recommended. The social atmosphere that the staff creates makes you want to keep a bit hush-hush like a new best friend – all to yourself.
Wilton Manors is where most of Fort Lauderdale’s gay establishments are – I struggled to find a bar that didn’t have a view of a shopping complex or a car park, and travelling from wintry London, why would I not want to spend time al fresco with a view of the ocean?
Walking along the oceanfront was far more appealing, and the South Florida humidity always complements a stroll.
During my visit, I took an oceanfront 2-mile walk in shorts, vest, and flip-flops (Dec ‘17), and after some time in the sun, my face was ready to be treated. I found myself sipping champagne (nice touch!) before my facial at the impressive Marriott Harbor Beach Spa; by this time, I was almost certain that spa hopping was far more fitting than bar hopping. The treatment I had was exceptional, and I couldn’t wait to show off my new face to the Floridians, and what better way of doing so than by dining at Ocean 3030?
Executive Chef Adrienne Grenier had all my senses on fire with her carefully constructed tasting menu. I felt as though my dishes were prepared as if I was the only patron in this shimmering restaurant. The American modern seafood restaurant embraces dining with technology by having electronic menus on tablets so you can see how your cocktails will be made and have an idea of what your dishes will look like – some may argue that they want to be surprised, and that’s fine as they have regular paper menus as well.
The surprise will always be in the taste. Chef Grenier made sure that my meal was going to be the highlight of my trip, and it indeed was – over and over again.
The Grand Resort and Spa is grand in value and location, and I would loosely recommend Fort Lauderdale to those that enjoy the quieter side of a gaycation. Accommodation at The Grand Resort is a lot less inexpensive (even for a penthouse) compared to other hot spots such as Miami and Key West. Clothing is optional in parts of the resort, which meant that you could sunbathe and use the jacuzzi in the nude.; however, because of alcohol licensing, swimwear must be worn in and around the immediate area of the pool – great for those that enjoy a drink, and not so great for those that don’t.
Five things that you must never do at The Grand Resort & Spa:
A grand hotspot for a gaycation in the winter sun!
BOOK THIS TRIP, Check out the latest prices:
Potential visitors are advised that while it is safe to travel to the Keys, recovery efforts are ongoing, especially in the Lower Keys and parts of Marathon which were hardest hit by the Category 4 storm. Not all lodging is operating on a normal basis currently and this includes RV resorts and other tourism facilities throughout the Keys. The districts of Key Largo and Key West were the least impacted, however, visitors planning to travel to the Keys in the coming months are advised to call ahead to ensure their chosen hotels1 and favourite attractions are open.
Motorists should use extreme caution when navigating Marathon and the Lower Keys regions and stay off side roads to avoid hindering restoration activities. Bridges on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway have passed inspections and any necessary repairs have been made.
Officials confirmed that the decision to open the Keys to visitors is based on some of the most immediate infrastructure repairs having been completed. Almost all power and water services have now been restored and mobile phone service is working well, however, the full restoration of television and internet connections is taking longer to re-establish. Throughout the Keys there are significant debris piles that are being removed by clean-up contractors.
Monroe County Mayor George Neugent commented, “We know we have a long way to go before the Keys fully recover, but because tourism is our top economic engine and many of our residents’ livelihoods depend on it, we also know that we need to begin asking visitors to return.”
UK travellers planning a visit to the Keys can access the island chain from this weekend through the normal gateway airports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. International airports in Marathon and Key West have also reopened to aviation traffic and The Port of Key West is now welcoming cruise ships again.
While some special events have been postponed or cancelled, key upcoming events include Key Largo’s Humphrey Bogart Film Festival (18-22 October) and Key West’s Fantasy Fest (20-29 October), both of which will take place as originally scheduled.
*THEGAYUK has made the editorial decision not to publish the Pulse massacre shooter by name.
A number of calls between the Pulse massacre shooter* and police dispatchers have been released today which reveal how calm and even-toned the shooter was during the siege which lasted over three hours in the earlier morning of 12th June 2016.
As the calls continued the shooter became more and more threatening and complained of the number of calls he was receiving by law enforcement, as the night of terror in Orlando unfolded.
Transcripts of the calls have already been released, but this is the first time the public can hear the audio.
Before he was killed, the shooter, used his calls to the negotiators to claim that the attack was the work of the Islamic State and used his conversations to warn the authorities that he booby-trapped the area surrounding the Pulse nightclub with bombs.
He also warned that in the days after his attack for America to expect more attacks, similar to his.
The recordings were made public after Judge Margaret H. Schreiber of the Circuit Court ruled in a case brought by The New York Times and other news organisations that the recordings should be made public.
The Judge will decide whether over 200 other calls from victims inside the club will be made available at a later date.
The pulse massacre was the worst gun attack in American history and the worst atrocity visited on the LGBT community since the Second World War. Forty-nine people were killed and a further 53 people were injured as the shooter rampaged through the club.
Chris Brodman, was one of the survivors of the Pulse massacre, but three month on from the attack, which left 49 people dead, he was found “unresponsive” at a party in Tampa, Florida.
The 34-year-old, who was currently on a leave of absence from his job as an insurance broker, was found in the garden of a friend’s house in Tampa. Paramedics were called in the early hours of Sunday morning but were unable to revive him.
Media reports suggest that there was no evidence of assault or trauma.
An autopsy has been completed but the cause of death has not been released until toxicology reports are made available.
A week after the shooting, he wrote,
“I look back and what stands out the most for me is how much support and love has been shown both here in Orlando and around the world.”
He is survived by his boyfriend, Cord Skyla.
It has emerged Orlando Health and Florida Hospital will not bill the survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre. The families of nine people who died after arriving at Orlando Regional Medical Center will also not be billed. The Orlando Regional Medical Center treated 44 of the victims from the atrocity in June.
Victims who were treated at Florida Hospital, which treated 12 people after the attack will not be billed even if they have medical insurance.
In total it is estimated that the hospitals could forgo $5.5million in medical billings.
Forty-nine people died when a shooter entered the gay nightclub and opened fire in what was to become America’s worst mass shooting. Fifty-three people were wounded.
Orlando Health President and CEO David Strong said,
“The pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families and our entire community,
“During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support. This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward.”
Survivors have welcomed the news as many of their healthcare bills ran into the tens of thousands with one victim facing a bill of $20,000 for a seven-hour treatment.
Eights shots to the head, chest, abdomen, lower leg and foot were recorded by the Orlando County medical examiner’s office, as Florida’s law enforcement fought to bring down shooter Omar Mateen during his murderous rampage through the Pulse nightclub in which he killed 49 people and injured a further 53.
The SWAT team, which comprised of 13 people engaged the shooter at just after 5:00AM on the 12th June, and fired 150 bullets when they breached the back wall of the Pulse nightclub.
The Sentinel reported that the eight bullets passed “through and through and the majority entered his body from front to back, suggesting he was shot while facing police, likely during the standoff.”
The 17-page autopsy reveals that he had no drugs or alcohol in his system – but anabolic steroids was found in his urine.
The autopsy reports of 31 of his victims have also been released with the remaining 18 due for release in the forthcoming weeks.
The autopsy reports of the victims released include: Akyra Murray, Christopher A. Leinonen, Christopher Sanfeliz, Darryl Burt, Eddie Justice, Edward Sotomayor, Enrique Rios, Eric Ortiz Rivera, Jason Josaphat, Javier Reyes, Jean Mendez Perez, Jerald Wright, Juan Chavez-Martinez, Joel Rayon Paniagua, Jonathan Camuy Vega, Juan Chavez-Martinez, Juan Rivera Valazquez, Kimberly Morris, Luis Conde, Luis Ocasio Capo, Luis Vielma, Luis Wilson Leon, Martin Benitez Torres, Mercedez Flores, Miguel Honorato, Oscar Aracena Montero, Paul T. Henry, Peter Gonzalez Cruz, Shane Tomlinson, Stanley Almodovar, Xavier Serrano Rosado and Yilmary Rodriguez-Solivan.
ALSO READ: Editor’s letter: The Orlando shooter took our last safe space
ALSO READ: FBI find no evidence to suggest the Pulse massacre was a hate crime
ALSO READ: The US senate blocks gun control to known terrorists just days after Orlando shooting
The FBI are still investigating the attack. According to 911 phone transcripts released after the attack Mateen swore allegiance to ISIS.
Investigators in Orlando, Florida, have said that they’ve not found any evidence that the gun attack that left 49 dead and 53 injured was a hate crime or that the gunman chose the venue because it was a gay club.
Speaking to the Washington Post a spokesperson for the FBI said,
“While there can be no denying the significant impact on the gay community, the investigation hasn’t revealed that he targeted Pulse because it was a gay club.”
On the 12th June Omar Mateen entered the gay club Pulse at around 2AM, and began shooting indiscriminately at the patrons. He killed 49 people and injured 53 more in a rampage that lasted several hours.
After the attack there were a some reports that Mateen had downloaded and used several gay dating apps and had used them to lure victims to the clubs, however the FBI were unable to find any evidence to suggest that this was true.
There was also speculation that Mateen was HIV positive, however an autopsy report, which hasn’t been released to the public reveals this to be an untrue rumour.
Today North Wales Pride have been paying tribute to the victims of the Orlando massacre last month.
They flew the official City of Orlando flag which was sent to them by the State Dept. especially for North Wales pride.
Tonight the pride have organised a vigil in tribute to the 49 people who were slain when a lone gun man opened fire in the crowded gay club in Florida in what is the worst mass shooting in American history and the greatest loss of LGBT+ life this century.
Tickets are still available on the door, at Hendre Hall in Bangor, North Wales,
A Venezuelan underwear model and actor, Jorge Ilich, 26, has died after apparently committing suicide. He was most famous for appearing in adverts from renown underwear designer Andrew Christian and for appearing in the Venezuelan soap opera, Heart Esmeralda.
He was killed after he fell from the Flamingo Towers in Miami Beach, Florida on Sunday evening.
CREDIT: Google Maps 2016
It is believed he fell 7 stories and police do not suspect foul play at this time saying that his death looks like a suicide.
CREDIT: Jorge Ilich / InstagramSpeaking about his career in 2015 to friend Tom Peak, Ilich said, “I’m happy with my life. I’m doing amazing”
Ilich had been a model since the age of 15.
If you are affected by this article and you need to talk to someone please call Switchboard on 0300 0330 0600 or the Samaritans on 116 123