Community Mourns Loss Of Orlando Shooting Victim With Northampton Ties
NORTHAMPTON (CBS) – KJ Morris' friends were already painting "Our hearts are in Orlando," in the front window of the Northampton store where they work, when they found out she was among the victims killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre.
"She was just an amazing woman," said Liana Stanton, her voice breaking with emotion.
The sidewalk in front of the store is covered with candles and messages to Morris, who lived and worked in Northampton before she recently moved to Hawaii, and then Florida to be near her mother.
She worked as a bouncer and a drag performer in a Northampton Nightclub called Diva.
Patrons say it is eerily similar to the LGBT club called Pulse in Orlando, where so many lost their lives this weekend in the deadliest mass shooting in United States history.
"It shakes us to the core," said her friend Liz Mazzei. "Where are we safe if we're not safe in these places?"
Another victim with ties to Western Massachusetts, Stanley Almodovar, lived in Springfield as a child.
There are vigils scheduled all week across the region, including one at a Northampton church Tuesday night. Another is scheduled at City Hall Wednesday.
