Colin Atagi, Skip Descant, and Brett Kelman

The Desert Sun

Shock and sorrow swept across the Coachella Valley on Sunday, unnerving a desert community that is often seen as an LGBT oasis with news that a domestic terror attack and hate crime in Orlando had become the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Despite the massacre– and a perceived threat against the Los Angeles Pride festival – local residents said they refuse to live in fear. Men and women still clustered in the desert’s gay neighborhoods, restaurants, bars and churches. They gathered for a vigil on Arenas Road in downtown Palm Springs as pain and horror at the attack reverberated throughout the country.

The community mourned, but did not cower.

"Someone texted me to say, 'Aren’t you afraid to be on Arenas tonight, with this happening?'" said Palm Springs Mayor Rob Moon, who is gay. "I said, if we show fear, they win."

50 dead in nightclub, worst mass shooting in U.S. history

A gunman with an assault rifle killed 50 people and injured 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday morning. The shooter, who has been identified as Omar Seddique Mateen, a 29-year-old Florida resident who reportedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS, was killed by police at the scene. Mateen’s father has suggested the shooting was motivated by hatred for homosexuals, saying his son was enraged when he saw two men kissing in public sometime before the rampage. As of Sunday afternoon, most of the deceased have yet to be identified.

"It is heart wrenching to think about what the victims went through as they were ending a night of dancing and having fun. There are parents who still don't know about their family members ..." said Denise Holdridge, 55, who works at Orlando City Hall down the street from Pulse, the nightclub that was attacked.

“It is surreal and I am paralyzed with overwhelming sadness," Holdridge added. “I will go to work tomorrow morning and hope it begins to make sense."

The nightclub shooting drew quick condemnation from politicians nationwide. In a press conference at the White House, President Barack Obama called the attacks an act of terrorism and a further reminder of the accessibility of assault weapons in the United States. California Gov. Gerry Brown called the shooting “senseless” in a statement. Locally, State Assemblyman Chad Mayes tweeted a question felt by many – “When is it going to stop?”

Obama: Orlando shooting an 'act of terror,' an 'act of hate'

The Orlando shooting comes about six months after a similar ISIS-inspired shooting occurred in nearby San Bernardino, where a radicalized Islamic couple killed 14 people at a government holiday party. To many local residents, Sunday's attack felt equally close to home, not because of where it happened, but because of who was targeted.

Most awoke to news of the shooting, which dominated new cycles from before dawn. Even at 6 a.m., sorrowful chatter had already begun between customers at The Score, a gay bar on Arenas. Bartender Mike Trindle told himself it couldn’t happen here.

"People in Palm Springs aren't here to live in fear," Trindle said. "People are mostly in shock and waiting to see what happens."

About a mile away, Nick Kroenke 47, read about the shooting while eating breakfast at Townie Bagels, which sits on the edge of the Warm Sands, the valley’s most prominent gay neighborhood. Like Trindle, Kroenke told himself not to be afraid.

The shooter was just one hate-filled man, he said.

"Never in my life have I been shot at for being gay," Kroenke said. "There's definitely an anti-gay sentiment out there, but the shooter was in a minority. It's bad it happened, but I'm not going to live in fear that it'll happen here."

Orlando nightclub shooter: What we know about him

At about 10:30 a.m., a congregation gathered at Saint Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church, also in Palm Springs, which had one of the largest gay and lesbian congregation in the local area.

Many of the churchgoers were at a loss for words. Rev. Andrew Green tried to fill the void.

"We need to be attentive when we hear messages of hate," said Green in his sermon "... As Christians we are called to be faithful shepherds. We are called to be messengers of peace."

Hours after the Orlando shooting, police in Santa Monica arrested a heavily-armed Indiana man who said he was in town for the L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood. Authorities said 20-year-old James Wesley Howell was caught with three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and a five-gallon bucket with chemicals that could be used to make an explosive device. Authorities initially said Howell admitted to harmful intentions, then later said he intended harm, and that they saw no connection to the Orlando shooting.

Regardless, the juxtaposition of assault rifles and LGBT gatherings on both coasts was startling. The pride festival continued with increased security.

LA Pride attendee armed, arrested

Local Pride leaders promised increased vigilance also.

Ron deHarte, president of the Greater Palm Springs Pride, issued a statement Sunday saying that local Pride events – held in November – will be a “demonstration of strength and solidarity.”

"Our entire community is called to stand strong and show the world that love wins," he DeHarte said. "We will not be silent.”

USA Today, The Associated Press and Desert Sun reporter Denise Goolsby contributed to this report.