The friend of Orlando shooting victim Stanley Almodovar III described the last moments that she saw him alive.
"I shared those last moments with him and that's something I'll never forget," Daritza Valez said.
Valez went to Pulse with her friend, Kyle. She did not know Almodovar was there too until the shooting and when she saw him collapse to the ground.
"He just looked at me and told me, 'Please don't go.’ (He said), 'Just don't leave me' and he grabbed onto me and Kyle," Valez said.
Valez remembered hearing gunshots.
"It felt like it had become the background to everything. It felt like the gunshots literally were part of the music," Valez said.
Valez said she never left Almodovar's side. Despite what was happening around her, she put pressure on his wounds. She said Almodovar dialed his mom's phone number because he wanted Valez to call her.
"He started crying, holding my hand and I saw his eyes roll back and he let go of my hand," Valez said.
Valez and other people loaded him into a truck, but Almodovar did not survive his injuries. Almodovar was a pharmacy technician. He was supposed to turn 24 later this month. His family is finding a way to cope with the loss. They described him as a caring and funny man.
"He was loving when he found out that you were loving back," said Adrian Reyes, Almodovar's cousin.
His family set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses. This is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/292fku4.
Valez said she will be scarred after this incident. She met Almodovar almost a year ago at Pulse. She's shocked it's the same place she last saw him alive, too.
"I can't say that I knew him as a best friend, but I can say that I was there when he was taking his last breath," Valez said.
