At least four of the Orlando shooting victims had local ties to the Tampa Bay area.
The Sunday mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub took the lives of 49 people and left 53 injured.
Christopher Sanfeliz, 24, of Tampa was a graduate of Gaither High School and worked at JPMorgan Chase.
Chase Bank wrote on their Twitter account that they mourned the loss of SanFeliz.
“We're heartbroken over the loss of one of our own, Christopher Sanfeliz,” the post said. “We're so sorry for his family and all those who loved him.”
Sanfeliz’s brother, Junior, wrote on his Facebook account that he his heart was “completely broken.”
“Everyone knows the bond that I had with my brother, we would finish each other's sentences, knew each other's thoughts, and could sense when the other was upset,” he wrote. “He was so strong, and was my rock through everything we ever went through. He was the light of my family and I know that he will continue to bless us and his light will be radiating down from a better place.”
Amanda Alvear, 25, of Davenport went to Pulse with her friend Mercedez Flores, 26, also of Davenport. Both were killed and Alvear captured some of the gunfire on the social media site Snapchat.
On her GoFundMe page, set up by family members, it notes that this is the second child her parents have lost.
Their second son, Nelson, died of cancer in 2001. Alvear and her family were in the process of moving to Tampa when she died.
“The events of yesterday are profoundly impacting her parents and family as such news is never predicated or even imaginable,” the statement on the GoFundMe page said. “The community has been overwhelmingly kind and thoughtful in reaching out for support.”
Flores worked at Target and studied at Valencia Community College according to her Facebook profile.
She had previously lived in Queens, New York before moving to Davenport.
Like Alvear, a GoFundMe page was also created for Flores by Roberto Escobar Vega.
He wrote that it was unfair that she died under these circumstances.
“It is not fair that such a horrific act of hate would take the life of a beautiful soul,” he wrote. “No words can describe the pain my family is going through. Marisol I love you.”
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, of Sarasota, worked as the brand manager for Al and Chuck Travel, a travel agency that caters to the gay community.
His boss, Al Ferguson wrote on his Facebook that he was at a loss for words on how to deal with his employee and friend’s death.
“How do I discuss this? What do I say? How do I even start?,” he wrote. “I wish it was a dream. But it's a nightmare.”
