Orlando Gunman Donated Blood, Killed the Lab Supervisor 2 Weeks Later
Hundreds of people have lined up to give blood in the wake of the Orlando massacre that left 49 dead and another 53 injured. ABC News reports gunman Omar Mateen donated blood to an Orlando mobile blood bank less than two weeks before he attacked and killed so many people.
"OneBlood has learned that Omar Mateen donated blood at a mobile blood drive in Ft. Pierce, Florida, on May 29," OneBlood vice president Susan Forbes told ABC. "All facets of the donation were in our normal parameters for blood donation, including screening questions and post-donation blood testing. A staff member recognized Mateen's face from media photos and told their supervisor."
Additionally, OneBlood confirmed Mateen's donation in the system's database, but they did not comment on whether or not his donation has been used to help someone he attacked or otherwise.
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33, a lab supervisor at OneBlood, was one of the people killed in the shooting. The center told ABC he'd recently been promoted to platelet supervisor and was "passionate about saving lives."
OneBlood encourages people to please continue donating blood but asked people to make appointments so employees are not overwhelmed at this time. A GoFundMe for the victims, survivors, and their families has raised more than $4.4 million since Sunday. You can donate here.
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