Zimbabweans have joined the rest of the world in mourning the death of 49 people in an American night club early Saturday morning shot by a lone gunman.
United States President Barack Obama said the tragedy in a gay club in Florida appears to be a case of homegrown extremism.
Obama said the killer, Omar Saddiqui Mateen, was apparently “inspired” by extremist information on the internet.
Authorities say that during his attack at the club, Mateen called Orlando’s 911 emergency line and pledged allegiance to Islamic State and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and also referenced the 2013 Boston marathon bombing that killed three people.
Promise Sande, a Zimbabwean living in Florida, told VOA Studio 7 the situation in the city was somber with residents laying flowers near the crime scene, which is still being cordoned off for investigations with some people queuing up to donate blood for the injured.
“From news reaching us we don’t think there were any Zimbabwean nationals who were in the club at the time of the shooting although we are still to confirm but the area where the club is situated in frequented by Hispanics and gays,” said Sande.
“Our condolences to all the families affected by this tragedy,” added Sande.
