President Obama meets with survivors, victims of Pulse shooting

World Today

President Obama meets with survivors, victims of Pulse shooting

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with families of victims and survivors of last weekend’s nightclub rampage in Orlando, Florida. They also thanked law enforcement officers.


CCTV’s Steve Mort reports. Follow Steve Mort on Twitter @mobilemort.

Once again playing the role of “comforter-in-chief,” Obama arrived in a city still in shock.

After meeting with victims’ families, Obama and Biden laid 49 roses at a downtown Orlando memorial — one for each victim.

Meanwhile, nearly two dozen survivors remain hospitalized — a handful in critical condition.

As President Obama met with families of victims, local people in Orlando continued to come to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to lay flowers and tributes to those who died.

Nicole Batey was one of the visitors to the center. She said hopes Obama’s visit will help Orlando move forward.

“At this point it’s not the time for closure yet. It’s like a fresh wound,” Batey said. “It’s got to take some time to heal, and I think that this is just the beginning. This is like the first band-aid.”

Orlando is expected to host many funerals over the coming days — some large, some small.

Pastor John Parrott of Orlando’s Discovery Church said he has offered to host ceremonies free of charge.

“One of the things we thought we could do to help in light of how many victims there were is to open our doors and to allow anyone that would need with the assistance with the funeral to come and use our facilities,” Parrott said.

Obama’s visit to Orlando is the 14th time he’s had to deliver condolences to the nation following a mass shooting during his two terms in office.


Kerry Eleveld on Obama’s meeting with Pulse shooting survivors

For more on Obama and Biden’s visit to Orlando, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke with Kerry Eleveld, journalist and former White House correspondent for The Advocate, about the president’s remarks, the victims and the impact of the shooting on the LGBT community.