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LOS ANGELES, June 14 (UPI) -- With rainbow flags waving and cell phones lighted in the crowd, Lady Gaga led a vigil Monday night in Los Angeles urging unity in the wake of a mass shooting at a gay Orlando nightclub. "Orlando, we are united with you," she proclaimed before the crowd of thousands.
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The LA vigil was one of many held across the country to remember the 49 victims of the terrorist attack. Others gathered in San Diego, New York City, London and Orlando.
Officials say 29-year-old security guard Omar Mateen, of Port St. Lucie, FL opened fire at Orlando nightclub Pulse early Sunday morning, killing 49 people and injuring another 53 in what is being called the worst gun massacre in U.S. history. He was killed in a shootout with police after calling 911 to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and mentioning the Boston Marathon bombers.
A video from London showed thousands of people pouring in to cobble-stoned streets in solidarity with those who perished and were injured when the lone gunman opened fire in the club early Sunday morning, the Daily News reported.
Gaga's surprise appearance brought gasps to the crowd. She called the shootings "an attack o humanity itself" urging everyone to mourn "these innocent, beautiful people," the Los Angeles Times reported.
"Let's all today pledge an allegiance of love to them and to their families who are suffering so deeply," she said.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center organized the rally.
The crowd held lighted cell phones in the air as the names of the 49 killed were read aloud.
The Islamic Center of Southern California and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace hosted a separate vigil in Koreatown and a third took place at Micky's West Hollywood, a gay nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard. The San Diego LGBT Community Center hosted a candlelight vigil.
"Let us not forget that it is time to mourn," Rabbi Denise L. Eger of Congregation Kol Ami told the West Hollywood crowd. "We must mourn those amazing, precious souls in Orlando."
Juan Carlos Hernandez, a downtown shop owner, wore a Mexican flag draped over his shoulders. Hernandez said he was saddened by the deaths of so many young people, many of them Latinos.
"They were so young -- beginning a life in the great freedom of this country," said Hernandez, from Acapulco. In Spanish, he said, "Nobody had the right to snuff out their lives."
Hollywood City Councilman John Duran spoke, urging vigilance. He recounted the LGBT community's struggles and victories, including the Stonewall Inn riots, the HIV crisis, and the gay marriage fight.
