Detroit Mom Waits for Word of Son in Florida Nightclub Shooting

Detroit, MI — On Sunday evening, Christine Leinonen, of Detroit, was still waiting for word about her son, Christopher, who had been at the nightclub in Orlando where at least 50 people were killed early Sunday morning.

He had been at Pulse, with his boyfriend, Juan Guerrero, WJBK-TV reported, but Leinonen told the TV station she thought they ad left. Those reported dead included Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22, but Leinonen told the TV station she wasn’t sure it was the same man. She had not heard from her son late Sunday night.

Her pain was felt by families across the country who waited for word of their loved ones.

The massacre at Pulse, a club popular with Orlando's gay community, cast a pall over the Motor City Pride Festival, which concluded without incident.

As news of the horrific shooting, Detroit Police Sgt. Michael Woody told the Detroit Free Press there has been no “direct threat” to the festival and that he’s confident the event was adequately staffed.

• NEWSLETTER & REAL-TIME NEWS ALERTS: Get the Top Michigan Headlines from Patch Editor Beth Dalbey

“We’ve got a lot of people everywhere today,” he said, adding that the police department “always operates in a state of readiness.”

Ferndale Pride held a candlelight vigil for the victims  of the Orlando shootings Sunday night, as well as for those who fought in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid, and widely considered the beginning of the gay rights movement.

“This month, as we remember those who fought in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, we also mourn the loss of our family who were killed in Orlando today,” Julia Music, chair of Ferndale Pride, said in a statement.  “The hearts of the people of Ferndale stand in solidarity with the people of Orlando and the entire LGBTQAI family.”

The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned the attack. 

“Those who commit these heinous acts are void of any humanity,” Nasser Beydoun, the group’s board chairman of group, in a statement. “The timing one day after the funeral of Mohamed Ali, demonstrates that this person and ISIS wish to only destroy Islam and kill innocent people in clear violation of the basic tenets of the religion and humanity. In such times, we need to stand together and not be divided by the politics of fear.”

Nationally, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee sent its condolences to the families of those who were killed or injured in Orlando.

“... Our thoughts and prayers go out to them during these trying times. Violence of this magnitude belongs to no religious, racial or ethnic group. ADC has always stood, and will continue to stand, against discrimination and hate crimes against all communities, including the LGBTQ community,” the group said.

“We have worked regularly with the LGBTQ community, as they have been on the forefront of helping combat Islamophobia and Anti-Arab sentiment.

“Tolerance and acceptance must be shown to all individuals, regardless of their race, sex, religion, and sexual orientation. We will continue working with all communities, including the LGBTQ community, to combat the hate and discrimination that impacts us all.”

Gov. Rick Snyder ordered state and U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff on Monday in a show of respect for the victims. The flags will remain at half mast for five more days to remember the five people who died last week when a driver plowed into their cycling group.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives and for their loved ones who are grieving,” Snyder wrote on his Facebook page. “What happened earlier today is a tragedy — one we will never forget. Hate has no place in this nation.

“Sue and I ask all Michiganders to join us in prayer for Orlando — victims, families, friends, and first responders. The people of Michigan stand with Florida.”

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette also issued a statement:

“My wife Cynthia and I, and indeed people across Michigan and America, extend our prayers to families who have lost loved ones in this brutal shooting in Orlando. At this moment, the tragic shootings in Orlando appear to be an act of domestic terrorism. Law enforcement officials are working diligently to obtain evidence of what caused this act of violence.”

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, wrote on Facebook that she was "simply stunned" by the mass shooting and said "the number dead is numbing."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone, the families of the victims, the injured, the community," she wrote, adding, "words simply cannot express what each of us is thinking." 

In Detroit, some people worried on Twitter about the safety of the Motor City Pride Festival. Others displayed solidarity.