Orlando Mom Reveals Heartbreaking Final Texts From Son Killed In Shooting
When will the hatred and bigotry end?
In the early hours of June 12, the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. occurred: a terrorist attack on the LGBTIA+ community. The gunman pledged his allegiance to ISIS, taking the lives of 50 innocent nightclub goers and injuring 53 more. Millions of people across the globe are standing together in solidarity, praying for the elimination of homophobia and for tighter gun control.
But, even after finding out a lot of detailed information about the tragedy, there are still severalPulse nightclub goers who are unaccounted for—some family members literally have yet to be notified if their loved ones made it out of the club dead or alive.
As the Associated Press reports, the nightmare of uncertainty was too real for Orlando mother Mina Justice, who began receiving horrifying text messages from her son Eddie the night of the attacks.
"Mommy I love you," said his first text, "In club they shooting."
After trying to call her son to get more information, she found out Eddie was hiding in the women's bathroom while the gunman roamed around the club. From there, she called the police.
Eddie periodically gave updates on what was happening in the club, including how many people he thought were hurt, and when the gunman entered the bathroom.
"I'm gonna die. He's coming. I'm gonna die."
After Eddie alerted his mother that the gunman was in the bathroom with him, the updates stopped coming as frequently and eventually stopped.
Justice went the entire day after the shooting unaware of her son's whereabouts. "His name has not come up yet and that's scary," she told the Associated Press, "It's just ... It's just, I got this feeling. I got a bad feeling."
Earlier this morning, Eddie's name was added to the list of the deceased.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. Here are a few steps you can take to help prevent another act of hate from devastating our country.