A New Zealand woman living in Orlando has considered moving home after two shootings in as many days have rocked Florida, leaving more than 50 dead.
The gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, went on a rampage early on Sunday (local time), killing 50 people at the Pulse nightclub during a gay pride celebration and wounding at least 53 more. The 29-year-old was shot and killed by police.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in US history, which President Barack Obama has called "an act of terror and hate".
No New Zealanders were believed to have been caught up in the shooting. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed the New Zealand Embassy in Washington was in contact with local authorities.
Claire North, who has lived in Florida for 21 years, has spent much of the day watching the news, following the shooting.
"It's on all the channels; you can't get away from it. It's pretty shocking," she says. "They say the investigators are having to tune out everyone's cellphones ringing beside their bodies which are still in the nightclub."
The mother-of-one says while health reasons dictate she stays in the US, the increasing violence in the city has led to thoughts of returning home.
"We have been thinking on and off about moving back to New Zealand," she says. "The fact that I've got a young daughter, what do you do?
"I have a 14-year-old daughter; in two years she'll be wanting to head to night clubs ... It's very scary."
Mrs North, lives a 20- to 30-minute drive from the city, but plans to head down to the site of the shooting, once it has been given the all clear, to lay some roses on the grounds.
"I want to go down there when it's calmed down and put some roses down at the night club," she says. "I hear they are having a church service tomorrow, I want to go and pay my respects."
She said it is shocking that one "sicko" could create such a tragedy among young people who'd just gone out to have a fun evening.
"It's heart-breaking; it's not just a hate crime, it's a crime against humanity."
Late on Friday, a man thought to be a deranged fan fatally shot singer Christina Grimmie, a former contestant on The Voice, as she was signing autographs after a concert in Orlando.
Mrs North said news of the shootings has left the community in shock.
"Most people are horrified; most say I can't believe this can happen in our community."
But, she said, in true Orlando spirit the community was rallying behind the emergency services and those who have had loved ones killed or injured.
"For a city, it's like a big community. I think Orlando is reeling because this is not something we are used to having happen here.
"People of Orlando are lining up to give blood, people are stepping up delivering food and water to police and FBI and any kind of person down there."
However, Mrs North said she has harboured concerns for some time that numerous notable attractions in the city, including Disney World, Universal Studios and Nasa, have made the city a "soft target".
Worldwide media have reported that Omar Mateen, from Florida's Treasure Coast, had claimed allegiance to Islamic State.
A US-citizen born to parents from Afghanistan, Mateen had been employed by security firm G4S since September 2007 and had access to guns.
He was also reported to have had a history with the FBI. The agency had first come across him in 2013 after he had made inflammatory statements to co-workers about affiliations with a terror group. He was interviewed twice, but the FBI said it could not substantiate any connection to terrorists.
Nevertheless, Mrs North was concerned at just how he had managed to get his hands on a weapon.
"I think for starters people who have been interviewed by the FBI and knowing they have ties to terrorism, should not be allowed to purchase a weapon.
"It's not the guns that kill, it's the people behind pulling the trigger."
