Isaiah Henderson, 21, delivered an emotional eulogy for his mother on June 20—she was fatally shot at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub just over a week ago.
Brenda Lee Marquez-McCool was dancing when Omar Mateen opened fire, she instantly stood in front of Henderson, shielding him from the two bullets that headed their way.
“Brenda saw him point the gun. She said, ‘Get down,’ to Isaiah and she got in front of him,” McCool’s sister-in-law Ada Pressley told the New York Daily News.
Mateen killed 49 people on Sunday, June 12.
McCool, the mother of 11, including Henderson, was laid to rest on Monday at First United Methodist Church of Orlando.
Henderson spoke during the service. “I didn’t want to speak,” he said, but added that he “would have regretted” it if he didn’t.
“I just want to say my mom was the best mom out there,” he said in a video obtained by NBC News. “I never thought her life would be ended right in front of my eyes,” he said as he burst into tears.
“She was the mom everyone wanted,” he added. “She loved everyone deeply no matter what.”
Henderson was filled with many emotions as he delivered the heartfelt eulogy, his uncle and one of his brothers rushed to his side to give him emotional support.
“I haven’t stopped crying since this happened,” Henderson said.
At the end of the service, McCool’s family released dozens of white balloons in her memory.
A GoFundMe page was created on June 12 by one of McCool’s six sons, Farrell Marshall, to help the family make ends meet after the tragedy.
As of June 21, the family has raised a total of $65,471.
