ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Latest on the Orlando gay nightclub massacre (all times local):
10:30 a.m.
Officials are changing the way they will distribute money to the survivors and relatives of victims of the gay nightclub shooting that killed 49 people and injured 53 more.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a news conference Friday that after listening to the advice and input from others, they’ll be giving the money from the OneOrlando fund directly to the survivors and relatives. Previously, they had decided the money would be filtered to them through nonprofit agencies.
Dyer says the fund has raised $7 million. He says 94 families and 256 people have visited the city’s assistance center since it opened.
The mayor says the money will be dispersed to begin helping people with medical care, food, rent and other emergencies.
Several other funds have been established, including one set up by the owner of Pulse. Others have been set up by gay and Latin advocacy groups.
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2 a.m.
A city that’s supposed to be a tourist paradise is enduring somber days after tragedies that include the gay nightclub massacre.
Friends and relatives gathered for the funeral of club bouncer Kimberly “KJ” Morris in a suburb as President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden laid flowers at a memorial of the 49 victims.
Obama and Biden also met privately with survivors and victims’ families, the club owner and staff, with Obama telling them he was inspired by their courage and felt their pain.
A deadly alligator attack on a 2-year-old boy and the shooting of former “Voice” singer Christina Grimmie have added to Orlando’s woes in recent days.
The FBI said it’s still gathering evidence and analyzing cellphone location data to piece together gunman Omar Mateen’s activities leading up to the shooting.