SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - Two people with ties to Massachusetts were killed in the Orlando nightclub shooting.
Stanley Almodovar III, 23, was a Springfield native. He was living with family in Florida and went to Pulse Nightclub with friends Saturday night.
“It could have been anyone,” said friend Nelson Roman. “It’s scary.” Roman organized a vigil in Springfield Sunday night to remember the victims of the attack.
KJ Morris, 37, was a bouncer at Pulse nightclub. Originally from Connecticut, Morris worked in western Massachusetts and moved to Florida several years ago to be closer to her mother and help care for her grandmother. Morris had been on the job as a bouncer at the Pulse Nightclub for one week.
“She was that great. I know in her last moments it was to help people,” said Morris’ ex-girlfriend, Starr Shelton. “She’s never been a coward. She’s never run away from anything.”
Before moving, Morris worked and performed at several nightclubs in western Massachusetts. Many people in the area knew her as a member of a drag king group that performed at Diva’s Nightclub in Northampton.
“She had the biggest heart, the biggest smile, and I will always remember her,” said friend Liz Massei.
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