Akyra Monet Murray

Akyra Monet Murray was an American basketball player for West Catholic Preparatory High School and the youngest victim of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting at Pulse. Background: Murray attended Bishop McDevitt High School until her junior year, when she transferred to West Catholic Preparatory High School. She first discovered basketball in the 9th grade, and despite discouragement, continued to play anyway. While on the team, Murray scored 1,000 points and received multiple All-Catholic honors. She had signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Mercyhurst College on a full athletic scholarship. Murray was planning on studying criminology, as she had plans to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She graduated from West Catholic Prep on June 6, 2016. She was third in her class out of 42 students. Pulse nightclub: After Murray graduated from high school, her family went on vacation to Orlando to celebrate. The family had rented a condo by the theme parks off of the Magic Kingdom highway exit, in Kissimmee, Florida, 25 miles away from the Pulse nightclub. On June 11, 2016, Murray, her cousin, Tiara Parker, and her friend, Patience Carter, researched nightclubs that people under the age of 21 could attend. Although Murray did not drink alcohol, she wanted to go to the club to dance with Parker and Carter. Eventually, the three decided on going to Pulse. At about 11:30 PM, June 11, 2016, Murray, Parker and Carter were dropped off at Pulse by Murray's mother, Natalie Murray. Akyra had sent various Snapchats to her mother of her dancing at the club. Parker suggested that the three call an Uber to pick them up. When the shooting began, Murray had already exited the nightclub. However, Parker and Carter were still inside, and at about 2:00 AM, Parker texted Murray's mother, asking her to pick them up because "they" were shooting. Akyra ran back into the nightclub after realizing she had left both her friend and cousin behind, and after being informed of the shooting, ran into the restroom stall where the two others were hiding, along with 15 to 20 other patrons. The group in the stall discussed whether or not they should attempt to rush at the shooter, Omar Mateen, moments before Mateen busted through the door of the stall. Mateen began to open fire and shot Parker, Carter, and Murray. Carter was hit in both legs and Murray suffered a gunshot wound to a major artery in her arm. After being hit, Murray pleaded with Mateen, saying "Please! I'm already hit! Please stop! Please!" Parker attempted to press her head against Murray's wound to stop the bleeding temporarily. At about 2:12 AM, June 12, 2016, Murray's mother received a phone call from Murray, who was screaming that she had been shot in the arm and that she was bleeding out. Murray's mother instructed her to stay calm and apply pressure to the wound. Murray's mother was forced to hang up the phone in order to call 9-1-1, as Murray had asked her to. While in the stall, Parker, Carter, and others in the stall played dead. Those in the stall used a system of scratching and tapping to indicate whether or not they were still alive. When Parker attempted to tap the back of Murray's leg, she received no response at first. Parker then grabbed Murray's hand, and in response Murray attempted to clench Parker's hand back. Death: Both Natalie and Albert Murray, Murray's father, waited outside of the nightclub from 2:32 AM, when they arrived from the condo which they had been staying in, to about 12:00 PM, when a hospital that Murray's parents believed Akyra was being kept in allowed Murray's parents to enter. Natalie searched Orlando-area hospitals for nearly 27 hours searching for Akyra. Late Monday morning, Murray's parents were informed by a hotline set up by Orlando city officials that Murray had passed away. Since she had been shot in a major artery in her arm and did not receive medical treatment for hours on end, she bled to death.