For builder of Orlando’s 49 memorial crosses, his craft is a familiar one
David Collins leaves flowers at a cross honoring Shane Evan Tomlinson. A retired carpenter from Illinois built and delivered crosses for each of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla.
Reporting from Orlando, Fla. — A long line of crosses became small windows into 49 lives lost.
Puerto Rican flags flapped from nearly half, representing the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting a week ago Sunday who had ties to the island, a U.S. commonwealth.
Portraits taped to the front of each white cross showed the victims – mostly gay, Latino men in their 20s and 30s.
As people during the past few days walked the row of crosses, which were built and delivered to Orlando by a retired carpenter from Illinois, some read the victims’ names aloud. Others knelt at the foot of each cross in prayer.
Advertisement
Nearly everybody walked the full line of crosses, stretching for a city block. To stop before the end, many said, felt disrespectful, perhaps similar to not reading every name etched into stone at war memorials.
“This is a war that happened in our backyard,” said Gama Garcia, 26, a nursing student who does clinical rotations at Orlando Regional Medical Center, which tended to victims after the attack, the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
1/80
Visitors pay their respects at a memorial in front of the Pulse nightclub June 23, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Joe Burbank / AP)
2/80
16-year-old Alexis Johnson of Sanford, with her Aunt, Kathy Fowler of Orlando, signs words of sympathy at a memorial in front of the Pulse nightclub June 23, 2016, in Orlando, Fla., site of the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
(Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)
3/80
Law enforcement officials work at the Pulse nightclub following a fatal shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Chris O’Meara / AP)
4/80
Mourners embrace outside the visitation for Pulse nightclub shooting victim Javier Jorge-Reyes Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(David Goldman / AP)
5/80
Mourners join hands while standing outside the visitation for Pulse nightclub shooting victim Javier Jorge-Reyes Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(David Goldman / AP)
6/80
Doctors, nurses and first-responders hug after a brief prayer service in the emergency room at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, June 15, 2016, to honor the victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting.
(Joe Burbank / AP)
7/80
A man sleeps in the early morning hours at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts on June 15, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
8/80
Law enforcement officials block off the road near the Pulse nightclub as they continue the investigation into the killing of 49 people on June 15, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
9/80
Names of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting are stitched into an American flag at a makeshift memorial at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts on June 15, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
10/80
Seddique Mateen, father of Omar Mateen, speaks with the media outside his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on June 15, 2016.
(Joe Skipper / EPA)
11/80
People hold up their cellphones in lieu of candles as names of those killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting are read aloud during a memorial service at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., on June 14, 2016.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
12/80
A woman takes a photo of the sunset next to a small memorial for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at Lake Eola on June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
13/80
A rainbow forms in the sky over the scene of the shooting outside of Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla., June 14, 2016.
(John Taggart / EPA)
14/80
Patience Carter recounts the attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
15/80
Angel Santiago describes how events unfolded during the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
16/80
Angel Colon, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting, second from right, listens during a news conference June 14, 2016, with trauma staff at Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Fla. Colon, his voice quivering, recalled how a festive evening out with friends turned into unfathomable horror early June 12.
(Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)
17/80
Angel Colon, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting, waits to speak during a news conference June 14, 2016, with trauma staff at Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)
18/80
Angel Colon, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting, leaves a news conference June 14, 2016, at Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)
19/80
FBI agents return to the scene of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016.
(Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)
20/80
Rhonda Rodeffer, left, and her daughter Kennedy, 4, visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(David Goldman / AP)
21/80
Jennifer Rivera pays her respects at a memorial with a Puerto Rican flag setup near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 14, 2016.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
22/80
People visit a memorial for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims on the grounds of the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)
23/80
Police officers walk toward the scene of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub on June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(David Goldman / AP)
24/80
Nicole Edwards and her wife, Kellie Edwards, observe a moment of silence during a vigil outside the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the mass shooting victims at the Pulse nightclub June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)
25/80
People hold candles during an evening memorial service for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, June 13, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub killed 49 people and left at least 53 injured.
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
26/80
Jennifer, right, and Mary Ware light candles during a vigil downtown for the victims of a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub Monday, June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. A gunman has killed dozens of people in a massacre at a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (David Goldman / AP)
27/80
Joshua Knight is overcome with emotion outside Phillips Center for the Performing Arts as he pays his respects at a memorial for victims of the Pulse gay nightclub shooting June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
28/80
A gay pride flag is seen at a memorial after a vigil outside the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the mass shooting victims at the Pulse nightclub June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)
29/80
People gather at a candlelight vigil outside of the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to place tributes and flowers in honor of the victims of a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.
(John Taggart / EPA)
30/80
People place candles and flowers in a makeshift memorial at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts during a vigil June 13, 2016, for the victims of a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda / Orlando Sentinel)
31/80
Thousands gather for a memorial at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on June 13, 2016, to honor those killed and wounded in the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Fla.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
32/80
Thousands gather for a memorial rally at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016, to honor those killed and wounded in the Pulse nightclub attack.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
33/80
Sam Jitaree, left, and Devi Thompson, of Orlando, Fla., hold candles as bells ring for each of the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting during a vigil at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda / Orlando Sentinel)
34/80
A vigil is held at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla., for victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda / Orlando Sentinel)
35/80
Friends and relatives bring flowers and remembrances to the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
36/80
Jose Hernandez, center, joins hands with Victor Baez, right, as they mourn the loss of their friends Amanda Alvear and Mercedez Flores who were killed in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, as they visit a makeshift memorial, Monday, June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (David Goldman / AP)
37/80
A large crowd gathers for a vigil in honor of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.
(Charles King / Orlando Sentinel)
38/80
Richie Compton, left, and Erik Winger kneel at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting outside of the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on June 13, 2016.
(Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel)
39/80
Johnathan Dalton breaks down as he places flowers on a makeshift memorial June 13, 2016, in memory of two of his friends who were killed during a fatal shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
(Chris O’Meara / AP)
40/80
Family members of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting walk out of the Orlando medical examiner’s office June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Alan Diaz / AP)
41/80
FBI assistant special agent in charge Ron Hopper, center, speaks during a news conference regarding the Pulse nightclub shooting.
(Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel)
42/80
A small group of people pay their respects to the victims of the fatal shootings at Pulse Orlando nightclub at a makeshift memorial on June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Chris O’Meara / AP)
43/80
Members of the FBI gather near the Pulse nightclub June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski/ AFP/Getty Images)
44/80
Investigators work at the Pulse nightclub June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)
45/80
Flowers and an American flag are seen on the ground June 13, 2016, near the Pulse nightclub, where Omar Mateen killed at least 49 people in Orlando, Fla.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
46/80
Brett Morian, of Daytona Beach, Fla., hugs an attendee during a candlelight vigil at Ember in Orlando on June 12, 2016.
(Joshua Lim / Orlando Sentinel)
47/80
Residents gather at Jones High School for a vigil to remember those killed in the Pulse Nightclub shooting on Sunday, June 12, 2016. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)
(Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel)
48/80
Orlando (last name withheld), center, who was injured in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, cries during a memorial service at the Joy Metropolitan Community Church in Orlando for the victims of the terror attack on June 12, 2016.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
49/80
Orlando (last name withheld), center, who was injured in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, attends a memorial service at the Joy Metropolitan Community Church in Orlando for the victims of the terror attack on June 12, 2016.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
50/80
Judy Rettig, right, and Karen Castelloes cry during a prayer vigil at Joy Metropolitan Community Church after a fatal shooting at the Pulse nightclub June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Chris OMeara / AP)
51/80
The Orlando Eye observation wheel lights up in rainbow colors to remember the people killed and injured in the Pulse nightclub shooting June 12, 2016.
(Joshua Lim / Orlando Sentinel)
52/80
People hold candles during a vigil for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Ember restaurant and bar in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images)
53/80
Two bodies of victims arrive at the Orlando medical examiner’s office June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Alan Diaz / AP)
54/80
FBI agents investigate near the damaged rear wall of the Pulse nightclub where Omar Mateen killed 49 people June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
55/80
Supported by a friend, a man weeps for victims of the mass shooting a block from the scene in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Gregg Newton / AFP/Getty Images)
56/80
An aerial view of the mass shooting scene at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
(Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel)
57/80
People mourn for victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(the_pixel_trappa / Getty Images)
58/80
Families and friends wait outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center for information about loved ones who may have been victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Gerardo Mora / Getty Images)
59/80
Angel Mendez, standing outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Fla., holds up a cellphone photo trying to get information about his brother Jean C. Mendez, who was at the Pulse nightclub where a shooting occurred June 12, 2016.
(John Raoux / AP)
60/80
Terry DeCarlo, executive director of the LGBT Center of Central Florida, from left, Kelvin Cobaris, pastor of The Impact Church, and Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan console each other after the shooting at a nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
61/80
Law enforcement officials work at the scene of the Pulse Orlando nightclub following a fatal shooting on June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Chris OMeara / Associated Press)
62/80
Police officials investigate the back of the Pulse nightclub after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at the nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
63/80
Christine Leinonen, 58, waits for information outside of the Orlando Regional Medical Center about her son Chris who is missing after a fatal shooting and hostage situation at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Fla.
(Gerardo Mora / Getty Images)
64/80
Florida Gov. Rick Scott arrives on the scene near the nightclub where a mass shooting occured in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)
65/80
Terry DeCarlo, executive director of the LGBT Center of Central Florida, right, is comforted by an Orlando police officer after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
66/80
Orlando police officers seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.
(Gerardo Mora / Getty Images)
67/80
Ray Rivera, the DJ at the Pulse nightclub where police reported at least 50 people were shot and killed, is consoled by a friend, outside of the Orlando Police Department.,Sunday, June 12, 2016.
(Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)
68/80
Police officers guard the entrance of the Orlando Regional Medical Center, where some of the victims of the shooting at Pulse nightclub are being treated in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Cristobal Herrerra / EPA)
69/80
Bomb disposal officers check for bombs at an apartment complex of a suspect linked to the fatal shootings at an Orlando nightclub, Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Fort Pierce, Fla.
(Alan Diaz / AP)
70/80
Law enforcement agencies and local city representatves give a press conference on Sunday morning regarding the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)
(Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel)
71/80
Rescue personnel work at the scene of a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Cristobal Herrera / EPA)
72/80
An Orange County Sheriff’s Department SWAT member arrives at the scene of a fatal shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
73/80
Police cars surround the Pulse nightclub, the scene of a fatal shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
74/80
Dr. Michael Cheatham, chief surgeon of the Orlando Health Regional Medical Center hospital, addresses reporters during a news conference after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Watching are Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, second from right, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
75/80
There was a heavy law-enforcement response to the shooting at Pulse nightclub.
(Christal Hayes / Orlando Sentinel)
76/80
An injured man is escorted out of the Pulse nightclub after a shooting rampage, Sunday morning June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Steven Fernandez / AP)
77/80
An injured man is escorted out of the Pulse nightclub after a shooting rampage, Sunday morning June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Steven Fernandez / AP)
78/80
An injured person is escorted out of the Pulse nightclub after a shooting rampage, Sunday morning June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.
(Steven Fernandez / AP)
79/80
Bystanders wait down the street from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., after a mass shooting June 12, 2016.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
80/80
Jermaine Towns, left, and Brandon Shuford wait down the street from a multiple shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Towns said his brother was in the club at the time.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
Advertisement
Katrina Manalastas, 30, spent about half a minute at each cross, snapping photos on her phone. She took a break about halfway through the sprawling memorial, overwhelmed, and spent a little extra time at the cross honoring her friend Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32, whose funeral she had just attended.
At the end, she scrolled through 13 rows of pictures – 49 lives memorialized in half-inch-by-half-inch photos on her phone. Manalastas said she wanted to remember each victim’s face, not just the number 49.
Nearby, Alberto Capo crumpled to his knees in tears.
“No, no, no,” he repeated, staring at a picture of his nephew Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20, who died in the massacre.
Advertisement
His nephew’s dream was to become as famous as he possibly could, Alberto Capo said, and, yet, he had an extremely humble heart. He befriended a homeless man who lived near him, often delivering food and once giving him the hoodie off his back.
“To me,” Capo said, “he was perfect.”
As he stood up, drying his eyes on a T-shirt bearing his nephew’s name, a tall woman with blond hair walked by. She did a double take, noticing that the name on Capo’s shirt matched the one on the cross.
“Oh, God,” she whispered.
Greg Zanis wipes tears from his eyes Feb. 9, 2016, after he dropped off three white crosses with the names of a father, mother and their teenage son who were found dead in their Oak Forest home the previous night, an apparent murder-suicide. The bodies of David Joost, 54, Margaret O’Leary-Joost, 55, and Daniel Joost, 18, were discovered in the house in the 6600 block of Courtney Avenue about 8 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
(Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
She wrote “Love!” in cursive on the cross, dropped a sunflower and told Capo she was so sorry. He nodded.
Capo lives in Cleveland and planned to drive home Friday night, but wanted to spend his final hours in Orlando at the cross. Before he left, he whispered goodbye to his nephew: “Bye, Papi.”
The memorial, at times, became a classroom for learning how to respond to tragedy. As a little boy walked toward the last cross, he stopped counting and looked confused.
Advertisement
“49?” he asked. “I thought 50.”
His older brother shook his head, explaining that putting the death toll at 50 would include “the bad guy,” adding that “the bad guy doesn’t count.”
Their mother rested one hand on each of her boys’ shoulders and scrunched her eyebrows together.
“He was very, very bad,” she told them, referring to gunman Omar Mateen, “but he counts.”
The horizontal slat of each cross bore the victims’ names in big, capital letters, but loved ones added nicknames. There was “Wonder Woman,” “nugget” and “El bebe” – the baby. To some, Luis Omar Ocasio Capo was simply “Ommy.”
Messages from strangers and friends covered the crosses:
“Disaster family loves you.”
“I will miss you, your smile, jokes and little dance moves. I love you so much nugget. Love, ladybug.”
“I promise to be here for your family. Rest easy.”
On the back of each cross, there was a note in matching handwriting: “Greg Zanis Loves You.”
Zanis, 65, started building and delivering crosses to scenes of mass shootings years ago to cope with his own suffering. In the winter of 1996, he found his father-in-law lying in a pool of blood, he said, and the killing wrecked his life. He lost 50 pounds and struggled to find meaning in things.
Advertisement
A few months later, a 6-year-old was killed in Illinois and her mother asked Zanis if he would build a cross for $25. He refused the money, he said, but built her the cross.
Before long, crosses started popping up across Illinois and then the country. Zanis said he’s made nearly 15,000 crosses and can hardly keep track of all the crime scenes he’s visited.
After the 2005 school shooting on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota, he built crosses using scraps from a collapsed barn; he used parts of a deck for the crosses he took to Tucson after the 2011 shooting that killed six people and wounded 13, including then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords; the next year, after the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., he relied on pieces of an old fence.
In 1999, Zanis showed up to the scene of the Columbine High School shooting with 15 crosses, including two for the killers. The decision, which Zanis said was meant to empathize with the killers’ parents, who he imagined must be suffering immensely, sparked outrage, especially among some of the victims’ families.
Out of respect, he stopped making crosses for killers, he said, but sometimes still leaves behind a small wooden heart for their families.
After he heard about the Orlando shooting, which happened at a gay nightclub, Zanis, a Christian, said he started to get calls from longtime friends curious if he planned to build crosses this time. Of course, he told them. Some spoke negatively of homosexuality, which Zanis said infuriated him.
Advertisement
“That was all the more reason for me to go to Orlando,” he said.
After he set up the crosses, he met with Florida Gov. Rick Scott and dozens of victims’ families. Before driving home Friday, Zanis collected as many cell phone numbers as possible.
He plans to call the victims’ families before officials decide to remove the memorial.
