One of the 49 people killed during Saturday night’s shooting in Orlando, Fla., was an employee of a licensed Starbucks unit, and a second employee from the same store was critically injured, the coffee chain said this afternoon.
“We are heartbroken by the news that we have lost a partner as a result of this weekend’s tragedy in Orlando while another partner remains in critical condition,” Starbucks said in a statement. The chain refers to its employees as partners.
Both of the victims worked in a Starbucks inside a Target store and were employees of Target, one of the chain’s few licensees.
“We are providing support assistance to local partners, and will have extra managers at our nearby store to help cover shifts and other needs as necessary,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in a statement.
A gunman proclaiming loyalty to the terrorist group ISIS opened fire at about 2 a.m. in a nightclub holding a Latin night for the gay community. By the time Omar Mateen had been shot and killed by authorities shortly after 5 a.m., 102 people had been shot. Forty-nine people have died, and 53 others remain in critical condition.
Starbucks did not reveal the names of the two associates who were shot.
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