J.K. Rowling Shares A Tribute To An Orlando Victim With ‘Harry Potter’ Ties

The Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting transformed an early Sunday morning into one of horror. The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history has been updated to 49 deceased, as gunman Omar Siddiqui Mateen was included in the initial death toll. It’s always difficult to comprehend what would motivate anyone to commit such violence, but Mateen’s father, ex-wife, and former co-worker have all painted a portrait of an unhinged, homophobic man. Unfortunately, no one realized exactly what he was capable of doing until it was too late.

Indeed, eyewitness accounts from within the massacre are as harrowing and incomprehensible as one would suspect. Mateen unloaded a semi-automatic rifle during those three hours as he took hostages. One of his victims included Luis Vielma, who had special ties to Rowling’s Harry Potter universe. Vielma, age 22, worked on the Potter ride at Universal in Orlando. Rowling was in tears over his passing.

Many of the 49 victims’ names have been listed on the City of Orlando’s website. Like Vielma, many of them were in their 20s with their whole lives seemingly ahead of them. They went out to have fun at what they believed was a safe haven, and the world now knows what happened from there.