June 12 was a sad day for Orlando – and the rest of the country.

A gunman burst into Pulse nightclub and opened fire, killing 49 clubgoers and injuring 53 more. As Americans woke up on Sunday morning, they heard unspeakable stories of horror and carnage.

As an Orlando resident, the shooting literally hit close to home. (The club is about 2 miles from my house.) It was amazing to watch my community come together to help. Our hospitals treated the victims for free. Schools and churches donated food and supplies to families who were camped out by the hospital. Hundreds of people lined up to donate blood.

I worked around the clock on this story.

By Monday night, my team had interviewed family and friends of all 49 victims for the cover of People. The issue hit stands just a few days after the shooting.