NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) - Locals are appalled after reports that Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen may be buried in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Omar Mateen was reportedly buried in the Muslim Cemetery of Miami-Dade and family members of other people buried there are in shock. “I really don’t want him here,” said Andre Wade, whose wife is buried in the cemetery. “I would hate to know that he’s buried here with my wife, and if that’s the case, then I want to have her exhumed and taken somewhere else to some other Muslim ground.”
Neighbors are also unhappy. “Just to know that I’m driving through the bastard that did that, it’s gonna be hard for me,” said Albert Pina, who owns the farm next door. “If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even allow them to bury him in my neck of the woods.”
Mateen went on a killing rampage at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 and injuring dozens more.
The man inside the cemetery closed the gate on 7News and would not answer any questions before he left. “Word was going around that he was buried here today, because yesterday, that wasn’t there,” said neighbor Andy Rodriguez through a translator.
Neighbors said the cemetery and Muslim funeral home has been there for less than a year. “This is a cemetery for Muslims, so it needs to be respected,” said neighbor Freddie Gonzalez. “I don’t think he deserves a burial, but all human beings have to rest in peace.”
Some wish they knew about Mateen’s burial sooner, otherwise, they would have tried to stop it. “Honestly, if I would have known, with more anticipation, I would have probably gone to the local government and find out what can I do to at least go somewhere else, not here,” Pina said.
“This is not the place for him to be, especially with my wife,” Wade said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office will only confirm that they released Mateen’s body to his family on Monday. His father will not say where he is in the state, however, Treasure Coast Newspaper, a newspaper in the area where Mateen grew up said they confirmed that he is buried in the cemetery.
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Story courtesy of Brian Entin, WSVN