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Richmond DJ mourns loss of friend in Orlando massacre

Posted at 6:24 PM, Jun 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-13 18:42:53-04

RICHMOND, Va. –  The victims in the Orlando nightclub shooting had connections around the world, and one Richmond DJ shared his story about one of the victims.

It was just last week when Jackson Scott received a text from his old friend Edward Sotomayor.

“He was like ‘hey how are you? I just saw your post on Facebook looks like you’re doing well,’” Scott told CBS 6.

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, is one of the victims who was killed after a gunman opened fire at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida on Saturday night, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others.

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, is one of the victims who was killed after a gunman opened fire at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida on Saturday night, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others.

The two went back and forth about music, something the two shared a bond over.

“That was the last thing we actually talked about — we argued about music,” Scott said.

Scott, a DJ with Q-94, is trying to come to terms that his friend is gone.

“All I did all day Sunday was go to that website over and over again and nothing showed up and finally I was sitting down at brunch and refreshed it and his name was the first of four that they had up,” he said.

Edward Sotomayor Jr.,  known as Eddie to friends and family, was one of the 49 people shot and killed at a gay club Pulse, in Orlando on Sunday morning.

Sotomayor was a 34-year-old Sarasota resident who loved traveling, making new friends and black hats.

So much so, his nickname was “top hat Eddie.”

Friends paid tribute on social media using emojis of black hats.

Scott and Sotomayor had previously dated. They met in Tampa when Jackson was working for Jet Blue.

Sotomayor worked at a travel agency that catered to the gay community, and the two hit it off.

“I remember him just loving to dance,” Scott said.

“We hit it off and stayed in touch,” Scott said, “because I worked for an airline I would fly down almost every weekend.”

Monday evening will be Scott’s first day back at work since losing his friend. He said that while it’s not going to be easy, he hopes to continue to spread his message that people need to love — not hate.

“You need to love like you’re going to lose,” said Scott.

“I think if anything this will bring our community together,” he said. “I think it will bring Richmond closer and I think it will bring America closer.”

To see the list of victim’s names and profiles, click here.

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