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2 Mass. natives among the dead in Orlando terror attack

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — As we learn more about the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, those with ties to Massachusetts are being remembered around the Commonwealth.

At the South Side Congregational Church in Springfield Sunday evening, there were prayers for two victims with local connections: KJ Morris and Stanley Almodovar.

KJ MORRIS

On the Facebook account belonging to a Braintree woman, there is a photo and a plea for help.

Please send positive thoughts and prayers for the safety of KJ Morris. If anyone in the #Orlando area knows anything...

Posted by Lauren Thrutchley-Daniels on Sunday, June 12, 2016

KJ Morris worked as a bouncer at Pulse Nightclub. Family friends told FOX25 they had not heard from her since the shooting, and concern grew by the minute.

While FOX25 was live on the air sharing Morris' story, Orlando officials announced that Morris was among the dead.

Morris has many friends in Massachusetts and lived in Springfield prior to moving to Orlando. While living in Massachusetts, she worked at a cell phone store and as the first drag king at Diva's nightclub in Northampton.

"I met KJ when she lived here in Northampton, Massachusetts. She moved to Hawaii and went back to Orlando where she was tragically murdered,” KJ’s friend Margaret Byrne said.

STANLEY ALMODOVAR

Stanley Almodovar, 23, was raised in Springfield and attended elementary school there. He had been working as a pharmacy tech in the Orlando area at the time of the shooting.

Almodovar's name was one of the first four to be listed among the dead. His mother told the Boston Heraldn that Stanley was a hero that night in the club.

"He tried to save other people because he was a good boy. He was my son," she said. "That day he was happy. He was so happy...He was lovely."