Local pastor responds to Orlando shooting

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — For 25 years, St. Jude’s Metropolitan Community Church has been a welcoming home for Wilmington’s LGBT community.

As today’s mass shooting targeted a gay club in Orlando, Florida, Pastor John McLaughlin said it’s troubling that the shooter targeted a community of people. He said it’s especially tough following HB2, which he feels opened the LGBT community to more hateful speech and actions.

“So now to have something like this happen, that was specifically targeted as a hate crime to a group of people who are often targeted it grieves my heart more this morning,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the church is discussing the possibility of holding a vigil in the coming days, and they have reached out to their church in Orlando.