Obama travels to Orlando to meet with families of shooting victims

President also meets privately with survivors of nightclub massacre

ORLANDO, Fla. – Offering sympathy but no easy answers, President Barack Obama traveled Thursday to Orlando to try to console those mourning the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Obama's solemn visit was meant to express solidarity with a grief-stricken community and to show some measure of unity from a political world that has largely used Sunday morning's shooting to renew its fights over guns and terrorism.

Arriving with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Obama drove immediately to Amway Center, a basketball arena just two miles from the scene of the Pulse nightclub massacre, to meet privately with families of the 49 victims, as well as survivors and law enforcement.

"These families could be our families," Obama said. "In fact, they are our family. They're part of the American family."

After meeting with families and survivors, Obama met with the owner and staff of Pulse who were working at the time of the shooting. Two members of the Pulse staff were among the 49 killed.

The low-profile visit reflected the challenge for the president to find something meaningful to say about an attack that has stoked a wide mix of fears about terrorism, guns and violence against gays. Even as the families of the victims bury their loved ones, it's unclear what led a 29-year-old Muslim born in New York to open fire in a gay nightclub where he may have been a frequent patron.

"We're all going to have to work together on every level of government across political lines to do more to stop killers who want to terrorize us," Obama said.

The president's call for rejecting bigotry against gays and lesbians is complicated by the possibility that the gunman, Omar Mateen, may have been wrestling with his own sexuality. The FBI has been looking into reports that Mateen frequented the nightspot and contacted men on gay dating apps.

"We will continue to be relentless against terrorist groups like ISIL and al-Qaeda," Obama said. "We are going to destroy them."

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican frequently at odds with Obama, greeted the president on the tarmac upon his arrival. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, traveled with Obama from Washington, along with U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Florida, who represents parts of the city. Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, joined Obama on the tarmac.

 


About the Authors:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.