Thousands honor victims of Orlando massacre in candlelight vigil

SEATTLE — Thousands of Seattle community members joined hands at a candlelight vigil in Seattle's Cal Anderson Park Sunday night to honor the victims of a mass shooting at nightclub in Orlando.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole spoke to the victims and the families affected.

"We gather here tonight in solidarity with those who lost their lives," Murray said. "We offer our support to their families and to the people of Orlando."

Other speakers offered personal accounts of bias and sexism.

As of Sunday night, a GoFundMe page created to support the victims of the shooting had raised more than $1.1 million.

Officials and first responders from around Washington state flooded social media with support and prayers for the community of Orlando after news broke early Sunday morning.

Seattle residents started gathering en masse at Cal Anderson Park at around 8 p.m.

At least 50 people were killed and at least 50 others were wounded at the gay nightclub, making it the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, according to the Associated Press.

In Tacoma, a vigil was held at 7 p.m. on the campus of Life Center Church at 1717 South Union Avenue in memory of Orlando's victims. Another vigil was held in Burlington, Washington, at Maiben Park at 8 p.m.

Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, released the following statement:

"Yesterday it was such an honor to join Spokane's inspiring celebration where they, as many communities across the country this weekend, were celebrating the progress we've made for our LGBTQ friends and family. It was an event marked by pride, love and joy. This morning we wake up to see this horrific tragedy in Orlando. We are all waiting to learn more about the motivations of this man but there is no doubt that today is one of unimaginable sorrow for the LGBTQ community, the people of Florida, for our nation and for people everywhere who are sickened and shocked by such an act of hatred."

Organizers with Seattle's gay pride parade say they are expecting a spike in the number of participants in this year's parade later this month.

Thousands of people are expected to march, officials with Seattle Pride said. The annual parade is scheduled for June 26 and will be held in downtown Seattle.

Below, sympathies and statements of support from around Washington state are gathered and embedded. Scroll to read.

Words cannot adequately encompass the feelings of grief for the loss of so many of our brothers & sisters in Orlando <a href="https://t.co/Xb3GfQnUUW">https://t.co/Xb3GfQnUUW</a>

Previous violence in Seattle

In the first hour of New Year’s Day 2014, a man who talked about his "distaste for homosexuals" started a fire in Neighbours, a gay nightclub in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

No one was injured in that incident, but it led to federal charges. The arsonist, Musab Masmari, was captured in surveillance video. He claimed not to remember the incident, blaming his behavior on cheap whiskey.

Masmari was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2014 – twice the term that prosecutors requested.

“The Court sent a clear message: this conduct cannot be tolerated," Jenny Durkan, then the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, said at the time.

Also in 2014, two local men were shot in the head after one of them met the killer on a popular gay dating app.

Ali Muhammad Brown, age 30 at the time of the homicides, was charged with aggravated first-degree murder. Police also linked him to another Seattle death, and the death of a man in New Jersey.

Ahmed Said, 27, and Dwone Anderson-Young, 23, were killed early on the morning of June 1 near 29th Avenue South and South King Street.

“It is evident that the murders were premeditated and unprovoked and part of a common scheme or plan,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Wyman Yip wrote in charging documents. “The evidence from the crime scene, Said’s vehicle, and the autopsies suggest that the victims were essentially executed.”

Brown pleaded not guilty and allegedly told investigators he killed to extract vengeance against the U.S. government for its foreign policies.

Previous mass shootings in Washington

There have been multiple mass shootings in Seattle and the Northwest.

In October 2014, 15-year-old Jaylen Fryberg shot five other students in the Marysville-Pilchuck High School cafeteria before turning the gun on himself.

June 2014: A gunman killed one student and wounded two others at Seattle Pacific University. Student Jon Meis stopped the gunman, who is currently awaiting trial, with pepper spray.

May 2012: Ian Stawicki killed five people at Café Racer in North Seattle, a restaurant and bar he frequented. He also killed a woman near Town Hall Seattle and stole her SUV. Stawicki killed himself in West Seattle when approached by police.

November 2009: Four Lakewood police officers were shot by felon Maurice Clemmons. He fled to Seattle, starting a multiple-day manhunt that ended when he was fatally shot by another officer in South Seattle. Police believe Clemmons wanted to kill that Seattle officer as well, but wasn't able to fire his gun.

July 2006: Naveed Haq shot workers at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, killing one and wounding five others. Haq is serving a life sentence.

March 2006: Kyle Huff killed six people and wounded two others after a party in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. He wrote "Now" on the sidewalk before starting his killing spree. A specific motive or the point of his message wasn't determined. Huff killed himself when confronted by police.

<a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/news/previous-mass-shootings-in-washington-state-2/">Follow this link for additional mass shooting details from The Seattle Times</a>.

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