Glbti people and their friends and families in Orlando gather if grief for a mass candlelight vigil 8.00PM SUNDAY NIGHT 12/6 NZT: Early reports are coming in of a mass shooting and hostage situation at an Orlando, Florida, gay nightclub... wounded people lying in street... people running and screaming. 9.00PM SUNDAY NIGHT 12/6 NZT: Gunman holed up with hostages... suggestion white supremacist is the gunman... several people dead... 10.00PM SUNDAY NIGHT 12/6 NZT: Gunman is dead... dozens shot... bodies everywhere... emotional scenes and family and friends try to get information. MIDNIGHT SUNDAY 12/6 NZT: At least 20 dead, 42 injured... FBI calls attack terrorism... shooter had handgun and semi-automatic assault rifle... may have radical Islamic leanings... injured and dying people in nightclub. 2.30AM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Gunman named, son of Afghan immigrants... death toll revised to 50, similar number in hospitals, many critically injured... Florida in state of emergency... calls for blood donations... Obama sends condolences... worst mass shooting in US history. 3.30AM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Police search New York-born gunman's home... his father says he was angry seeing two men kissing. 8.30AM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Gunman pledged allegiance to Islamic State... purchased weapons a week before attack... Obama: "...an act of terror and hate." 9.15AM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: First names of dead victims released... 10.00AM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Survivors and witnesses recount first stories of horror and heroism... narrow escapes 11.00AM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: A man arrested in Los Angeles with weapons heading for LA Pride Parade... ex-wide describes Orlando gunman as unstable and violent... Vice President and presidential candidates begin making statements... 12.10PM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Police commissioner calls shooting the "darkest day of my 25 years at the Orlando Police Department"... Celebrities and politicians around the world make statements, tweets... US Muslim groups denounce the attack. 1.00PM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Many survivors still in critical condition... gunman was loner, regular worshiper at mosque... had been investigated earlier by FBI... stories emerging of panic inside club... police horrified by carnage. 3.00PM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: First four bodies removed from club... flowers and candles at informal memorials around Orlando... gunman's father says God will punish gays... politicians trade blows over terrorism, gun control... $1USmillion raised through crowdfunding 4.15PM MONDAY 13/6 NZ: Many gay men turned away from blood donation centres... many victims are Latino men... 5.00PM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Vicious anti-gay comments emerge in social media... Tony Awards ceremony dedicated to Orlando victims... vigils to begin soon in Auckland and Wellington, Sky tower, Michael Fowler Centre to be lit in rainbow colours. 9.00PM MONDAY 13/6 NZT: Vigils occurring all around the world... the Queen sends condolences... LA Pride Parade dedicated to Orlando victims... 7.00AM TUESDAY 14/6 NZT: 48 names of deceased released... video fragment of start of shooting... first confirmation of police action to halt gunman emerges... more survivors speak of panic and chaos. 10.00AM TUESDAY 14/6 NZT: US presidential candidates trading verbal blows ... tears and shock as many glbti people learn of the fates of their partners, family members, friends and acquaintances. NOON TUESDAY 14/6 NZT: The following night at an Orlando gay venue... memories of New Orleans fatal arson... Vigils in New Orleans, Miami, New York and other gay communities around the world... wounded victims coped until emergency services arrived. 2.00PM TUESDAY14/6 NZT: Reports gunman had been seen at Pulse club many times over the past years... had messaged gay men on dating apps. 5.00PM TUESDAY 14/6 NZT: Gunman's father sad his son did "this act during this holy month of Ramadan"... 6.00PM TUESDAY 14/6 NZT: Stories of victims' lives appearing... gay couple were planning to marry. 10.OOPM TUESDAY 14/6 NZT: Huge candlelight vigil at Orlando lakeside park... man shot 4 times in back says gunman laughed as he shot people... improvised ambulances... emotional posting by emergency trauma surgeon... vigils in Toronto, Seoul, Brisbane, Mexico City and Belfast and more cities around the world. 9.00AM WEDNESDAY 15/6 NZT: Wife of gunman knew attack was imminent, may face charges... Walt Disney co donates $US1 million. 1.30PM WEDNESDAY 15/6 NZT: As the shooting started a mother told her gay son to "get down!" He survived, she did not. Gay Russian couple placing flowers outside US embassy are arrested. A Dumbledore funeral for a slain Harry Potter fan. 5.15PM WEDNESDAY 15/6 NZT: The owner of Pulse speaks publicly for the first time. She talks of grief and devastation. She paid tribute to the club's patrons and staff, past and present and of her determination to rebuild Pulse which she started after her brother died due to AIDS in 1991. 6.00PM WEDNESDAY 15/6 NZT Surgeons fear death toll of 49 victims could rise as several of the injured are still in critical condition. 10.30PM WEDNESDAY 15/6 NZT Deeply troubling information on the killer's background, childhood and family culture are emerging. A teacher says he was self-centred, his attitude to girls and women was "abysmal" and his father was "an enabler" and "a pig." MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY 15/6 NZT 23 of the dead were Puerto Rican. The club had been running a Latin-themed event the night of the attack. A lgbti rights activist says "They thought they were going to have more freedom over there, only to be met with death." A vigil has been held in San Juan, the capital of the US island territory. 9.00AM THURSDAY 16/6 NZT: Gunman's wife questioned after she helped him buy the guns. Muslim Americans, including glbti Muslims are having to face up to the generally taboo subject of homosexuality within family and religious culture. 6.00PM THURSDAY 16/6 NZT: Hactivists break into Islamic State twitter pages, inserting gay pride messages and links to gay porn. The gunman pledged allegiance to the terrorist group by phone during the massacre. 8.30PM THURSDAY 16/6 NZT: Lesbian singer/songwriter has penned a song called Pulse expressing heartbreak over the mass shooting. Medical examiner said bodies in club looked as they had fallen asleep. 10.30PM FRIDAY 17/6 NZT: FBI is expressing doubt that the gunman was gay as had seemed to be becoming apparent. Walmart chain fires employee for applauding the massacre. Hate-mongering Baptist church group arrives to picket funerals with their God Hates Fags banners at the ready. This index will be updated periodically. GayNZ.com Daily News staff - 16th June 2016
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 16th June 2016 - 10:00am