The fire was reported in an apartment building at 8 Volpe Drive. A firefighter was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of a hand laceration.

CHICOPEE - A firefighter suffered a minor injury while putting out a kitchen fire on Volpe Drive Saturday afternoon.

Fire crews responded to reports of smoke and flames in an apartment unit located at 8 Volpe Dr. around 1 p.m., said Chicopee Deputy Fire Chief Joseph R. Crevier.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which was largely contained to the first-floor apartment.

The cause will not be known until after an investigation by fire officials, but firefighters on scene said it appeared to start in the kitchen by the stove.

None of the building's residents were injured in the fire, but a firefighter was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of a hand laceration, Crevier said.

The fire caused an estimated $30,000 worth of damage and displaced the unit's residents, the deputy chief said.

Shannon Young contributed reporting to this story.

On Saturday, riders from the Pioneer Valley joined a statewide event to raise awareness of traffic laws surrounding the use of horses. "Share the Road: Horses Paved the Way" is in its fifth year, with a contingent riding from Holyoke, through Chicopee and into the North End of Springfield. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - People in the modern world rely less on horses to get around, but that doesn't mean you'll never see one in traffic.

If you do, you have some responsibilities.

On Saturday, riders from the Pioneer Valley joined a statewide event to raise awareness of traffic laws surrounding the use of horses. "Share the Road: Horses Paved the Way" is in its fifth year, with a contingent riding from Holyoke, through Chicopee and into the North End of Springfield.

Jose Rubero, executive director of the Latino Chamber of Commerce, donned a hat and boots for the occasion.

"(The law) states that the roads are paved for travelers, their horses and vehicles, in that order," he said, referring to Massachusetts General Law Chapters 84 and 90.

An equestrian is the only civilian legally allowed to order a car to stop, said Rubero, and can even tell a driver to shut off their engine if there's a safety concern like a spooked horse.

"We can signal all cars to stop. They have to shut off their vehicles until we say it's safe to go. Even a cop," he said.

Rubero said that, on Saturday, drivers along the route were cautious and respectful. Some pulled over to take photos of the less-than-common sight.

The traditional ride was started by Blue Star Equiculture and the Granby Regional Horse Council.

"This campaign is a simple reminder of laws that already exist protecting our working horses and private equestrians on the public roadways," organizers said in a news release. "These laws are in practically every city and town and village in America. This is not a campaign to create new laws and regulations but to simply remind our communities to please obey the laws that exist."

Rubero and his group were riding Paso Finos, a breed of horse that originates in Puerto Rico. Paso Finos are renowned show horses, so they are used to chaotic situations, loud noises and sudden commotion, making them a safe choice for the rider and the travelling public.

"None of the horses that we ride in the streets are going to get frightened by a sudden honking horn, a sudden air brake from a tractor trailer," said Rubero. "They are parade-ready. It's bred for that."

The ride on a Paso Fino is smooth. Puerto Ricans, said Rubero, can ride from one end of the island to the other without trouble, and it's easy to eat and drink during the trip.

"Most of the people riding horses here in Western Mass. are just riding in the woods," he said, but enthusiasts could also start businesses in the cities, providing carriage rides and the like. Horses are good therapeutic tools for autistic children and people with certain emotional disorders like PTSD.

"We want people to be involved, or accept it, at least," said another rider, Carlos Rivera of Springfield. "It helps people go slower, if you think about it."

Rivera recalled a time when he was stopped by a police officer, who had to check if it was legal to ride a horse in the street. He sees the "Share the Road" event as a way to educate everyone, even law enforcement.

Rivera and Omar Morales, 12, of Springfield, stable their horses in Monson and ride in the city several times a month. Morales said he grew up around horses, and this is part of their culture. There's an open invitation for other riders to join them on their journeys.

"We're trying to get more people to ride horses so there will be a bigger group," said Morales.

The event is held every year on the second Saturday in June. Organizers said the city of Holyoke has approved "Share the Road" signage throughout the city, and a formal announcement is coming soon.

One person has been transported to an area hospital following an alleged shooting near the intersection of Earl Street and Kensington Avenue, Springfield Police have confirmed.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ One person has been transported to an area hospital following an alleged shooting near the intersection of Earl Street and Kensington Avenue, Springfield Police have confirmed.

Officers responded to reports of shots fired near the intersection around 2:23 p.m.

An unidentified male victim, who was shot once in the buttocks, was transported to an area hospital. His injuries appear to be non-life-threatening, police said.

A witness who wished to remain anonymous, said he was standing down the block when he heard multiple shots.

"It sounded like the whole clip. Rapidly, too," he said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

When a baby spends its first hours, days, weeks or even months in the intensive care unit, the wait to bring the little one home can be unbearable for most parents.

SPRINGFIELD - When a baby spends its first hours, days, weeks or even months in the intensive care unit, the wait to bring them home can be unbearable for most parents.

"It was stressful, because we had other kids home and we wanted to be there all the time with (the newborns)," said Paulette Fraser, the mother of 1-year-old twins, Gabriel and Gabrielle, who were in intensive care for three-and-a-half months.

Fraser said although she is a nurse, "with all the alarms and the bells it was intimidating."

She, however, said her fears were calmed when the doctors and nurses explained what was going on.

"The staff at the intensive care unit was wonderful," she said.

Fraser's twins were among the 90 babies and their parents who came to Baystate Medical Center's Chestnut Conference Center on Saturday morning for a graduate reunion with the staff of the hospital's Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The event, complete with balloons, refreshments, raffle drawings, Minion and Elmo characters, a slideshow and more, gave parents an opportunity to show off their babies as they reunited, not only with their caregivers, but other families they met while spending their days and nights in the region's only neonatal intensive care unit.

Brian and Katie Freeman brought their 11-month-old son, Alex to the celebration. They said Alex was in the intensive care unit for five days.

"The doctors were wonderful," Katie Freeman said. "It was a tough experience, but a good experience."

Seeing their daughter, Rosalie, 10 months, in the intensive care unit for a week after she was born was difficult for Kevin and Erika Relihan, who said the wait was made bearable by "awesome" doctors.

"They were very good," Kevin Relihan said. "We were very happy with them."

England and Russia fans rioted Saturday in Marseille, France before the two countries met in a soccer match at the European Championship.

MARSEILLE, France (AP) -- England and Russia fans rioted Saturday at the Old Port in Marseille and outside the city's Stade Velodrome before the two countries met in a soccer match at the European Championship.

It was the third straight day of violence in the Mediterranean port city, reviving bitter memories of clashes involving England fans at the 1998 World Cup.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons at rioters around the city to rein in violence that authorities said left at least five people injured. Some fans walked through the city bare-chested and with blood dripping from head wounds.

Amid the broken beer bottles and gray clouds of tear gas, families and tourists walked around the picturesque port, sometimes forced to skirt around lines of riot police leaning on their shields. Groups of people watched the chaos from the rear decks of two gleaming white yachts.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said one British citizen was "seriously injured" in the clashes.

"Once again, as over the last 30 years, an international football competition has been the scene of clashes between violent people claiming to be supporters of their national team," Cazeneuve said in a statement.

UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, also condemned the fans, saying "people engaging in such violent acts have no place in football."

TV footage showed fans throwing chairs yanked from restaurant terraces and scuffling on a staircase, where one man was seen kicking another one down the stairs. Shortly before the match kicked off, a group of Russia fans ran toward England supporters and started fighting outside the stadium. Riot police fired a water cannon at them and quickly broke up the scuffles.

There was no fighting among fans inside the stadium, where England fans vastly outnumbered Russians.

Each side blamed the other for provoking the violence and England supporters complained that the French riot police did not do enough to halt the fighting.

Alexander Shprygin, head of the All-Russian Fans' Union, a body with backing from the Russian government and soccer authorities, told The Associated Press by telephone that the police had broken up fights between English and Russian supporters.

"The reason (for the fighting) was that the English are drinking a lot and are behaving badly," Shprygin said.

Fans of Russian clubs Lokomotiv Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg were "active" in the fighting, Shprygin said, but would not comment on whether a group of Russian fans had attacked English supporters.

It was the second straight European Championship at which Russia fans have been involved in rioting and comes two years before the country is due to host the World Cup.

Regional police chief Laurent Nunez told French media that five people had been wounded and six people arrested during the fighting.

Two television stations reported that one of those wounded had suffered a heart attack during one of the melees, although they gave no further details.

The clashes brought back memories of bloody fighting between England hooligans, Tunisia fans and locals of North African origin during the World Cup in 1998. Then, hundreds of England fans were involved in violent beach-front clashes with locals in Marseille over two days around England's match against Tunisia, prompting a headline in a local paper: "Go home hooligans!"

Three people were injured in a car accident that occurred in Agawam on Saturday, according to news sources.

AGAWAM — Three people received "serious injuries" in a head-on car accident in Agawam on Saturday, according to WWLP.

The accident involved two cars that allegedly ran into each other "head-on." It occurred at approximately 3:15 p.m. at 440 Barry St.

The victims were taken to Bay State Medical Center for treatment and they are all expected to survive, according to the news site.

Barry St. was apparently closed for a number of hours while State Police and Agawam authorities investigated the crash.

The 3rd annual Easthampton Cultural Chaos street festival drew puppets and acrobats along with entertainers, food vendors, artists and people from across the region on Saturday, in what's become a top early-summer attraction in the Pioneer Valley.

EASTHAMPTON — The 3rd annual Easthampton Cultural Chaos street festival drew puppets and acrobats along with entertainers, food vendors, artists and people from across the region on Saturday, in what's become a top early-summer attraction in the Pioneer Valley.

Cultural Chaos, now in its third year, cleared traffic from the Cottage Street Cultural District to make way for a day of fun.

Three performance stages featured a variety of music. Local venues, such as Luthiers Coop, hosted live music throughout the day. A makers market also featured hand-crafted items for sale.

Cultural Chaos is a project of Easthampton City Arts+, the city's arts booster organization.

In 2015, Cultural Chaos brought around 10,000 people to the city, with its growing reputation as a regional arts destination. A crowd estimate for this year's festival wasn't immediately available.

Police are searching for two suspects who are alleged to have robbed a Springfield T-Mobile store at gunpoint, according to police.

SPRINGFIELD — Police are searching for two suspects who robbed a T-Mobile store in Springfield, stealing phones and money.

Police received a call at approximately 2:06 p.m. for the robbery of a store on Belmont Ave, according to Lt. Akers of the Springfield Police Department.

The men allegedly entered the store and told the store's employees to "stay in the back room," before stealing a number of phones and money, according to Akers.

One of the men allegedly had a gun, according to police.

The suspects then fled on foot with their stolen goods.

The two suspects are described as both being African American.

Anyone with any information regarding the suspects or the robbery can contact the Springfield Police Department Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355.

A man from Everett was found guilty of sex trafficking on Friday.

EVERETT — A man from Everett was found guilty of human trafficking in an Everett Superior Court on Friday.

Steven Diaz, 34, was convicted of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, as well as deriving support from prostitution. His sentencing is scheduled for June 17.

Diaz was arrested in 2014 along with Marquis Campbell, of Hyde Park, when police stopped their vehicle on the road and a woman in the backseat asked officers for help.

Diaz allegedly picked up the woman several days before he was arrested and "coerced" her into prostitution acts in various Massachusetts communities during a three day period. The duo apparently took the woman to a number of hotels and forced her to perform sexual acts with different men. They would then collect money from the acts, according to authorities.

Campbell, whose trial is scheduled for Sept. 12, is also alleged to have raped the victim, as well as threatened her with violence. He is charged with rape, kidnapping, deriving support from prostitution, and trafficking of persons for sexual servitude.

A Methuen teen has gone missing after her first day working at McDonald's, according to police.

METHUEN — A teenage girl from Methuen is missing after her first day at her new job, according to the Methuen Police Department.

Ashelye Garcia, 16, was last seen at the McDonald's on Pelham St., on Friday, at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to police.

Garcia, who was last seen wearing her McDonald's uniform, was alleged to be "fine" when she left work on Friday.

"She was fine. She didn't seem upset or anything," said Breliz Abreu, the manager at the McDonald's where Garcia was last seen, according to The Boston Globe.

Abreu says she last saw Garcia at 7 p.m., according to the news site.

Authorities are asking that anyone with any information about Garcia's whereabouts contact police at 978-983-8698.

An official told The Associated Press that authorities believe two attackers fatally shot the woman, her family, and other relatives, including two girls.

TEHUACAN, Mexico -- The prime suspect in the slaying of 11 family members is an alleged rapist seeking revenge against a victim whose complaint had him jailed, a Mexican law enforcement official said Saturday.

The official told The Associated Press that authorities believe two attackers fatally shot the woman, her family, and other relatives, including two girls. The killers also slashed a male victim believed to be the woman's partner, and may have tried to decapitate him.

The official was not authorized to be quoted by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Puebla state prosecutor's office said that one of the dead women had been raped and had a child by one of the attackers, apparently several years ago.

The killings took place Thursday night in the remote mountain hamlet of San Jose El Mirador, in the municipality of Coxcatlan in the central state of Puebla.

Clemente Hernandez, a leader of the 50-household village, said the two wounded girls were in serious condition, with bullet wounds to the chest and abdomen.

Hernandez, 37, said his two daughters, aged 8 and 9, were among the dead. He said one of the women who died, also a relative of his, was pregnant.

"We are not going back," Hernandez said of the hamlet's residents. "We are going to look for work wherever we can."

Authorities have not released the names of the victims or the suspects.

Officials had previously raised the possibility that the killings had religious overtones because residents of the largely evangelical hamlet had previously had disputes with Catholics in a nearby community. But that now appears not to have played a role.

The two homes where the killings occurred can be reached only by foot and the bodies had to be carried to the nearest road on stretchers. They were taken to the city of Tehuacan for autopsies.

The area has not been particularly hard hit by the drug violence raging in much of Mexico, but drug cultivation and land disputes are not uncommon in the region.

Tamara Reed, 29, and Jamie McDonald, 30, are both charged with receiving stolen property.

TYNGSBOROUGH, Mass. -- Two people were arrested Saturday in connection with the theft of two passports from a Tyngsborough home after police found the pair being chased by one of the victims, a U.S. soldier.

Tamara Reed, 29, and Jamie McDonald, 30, are both charged with receiving stolen property.

Police responded to a home on Blossom Street just before 5 p.m. Friday for a report of a break-in. Responding officers discovered that a backpack containing the homeowners' passports, including a military passport, were missing. Nothing else was reported stolen.

Reed and McDonald were taken into custody Saturday afternoon after police responded to Lakeview Avenue, where the victim of the alleged theft was found chasing the pair. The stolen items were recovered.

WFXT-TV, which spoke to the soldier's wife, Jennifer Espinola, said her husband, Mike, needed the stolen papers in order to return to active duty in Saudi Arabia. She said her husband happened to spot his backpack while the suspects were walking down the street, and confronted them before they fled.

Additional charges may follow, police said.

It's unclear whether Reed and McDonald have lawyers who could comment on the charges.

A man from Pittsfield was arrested on Friday. Police suspect him of dealing crack.

PITTSFIELD — A man from Pittsfield who police suspect of dealing crack was arrested on Friday, according to The Berkshire Eagle.

Corey Hanger, 36, was taken into custody, after an investigation by local authorities allegedly led them to discover Hanger in possession of large amounts of crack-cocaine.

Police believed Hanger was selling drugs out of his residence on Dewey Ave, and used a warrant to search the building at approximately 9:40 a.m. on Friday morning.

Hanger was in the apartment at the time of the search and was subsequently arrested without incident, according to the news site.

As officers searched Hanger's home, they allegedly discovered dealer paraphernalia, packaging materials, multiple cell phones, and approximately 35.6 grams of crack cocaine.

Additionally, Hanger was allegedly found to have 2.8 grams of crack cocaine and $235 on his person.

On Friday, Hanger pleaded not guilty in Central Berkshire District Court to one count of trafficking in cocaine between 18 and 36 grams.

A man is under arrest after he crashed a car in Springfield's Old Hill neighborhood, according to police.

SPRINGFIELD — A man is under arrest after he crashed his vehicle in Springfield's Old Hill neighborhood on Saturday night shortly after gunfire was reported a short distance away.

The crash occurred only moments after a ShotSpotter activation alert that occurred at 9:53 p.m., in the vicinity of 257 Pine St. – a one minute drive from where the man crashed his vehicle.

Police responded to reports of the crash at the corner of Pendleton St. and Walnut St., at approximately 10:05 p.m., according to an officer at the scene.

A weapon was also recovered by officers investigating the incident, and a shell casing was found inside the vehicle that crashed, according to Capt. Strempek of the Springfield Police Department.

The driver is "being brought in for booking," Strempek confirmed.

The car, a four-door Cadillac, had run off the road and smashed into a guard rail of the Springfield cemetery — doing significant damage to both the vehicle and the rail.

Police at the scene could be seen surveying the area.

An officer at the scene said that this was "not your usual car accident."

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

The man authorities said shot and killed 50 people inside an Orlando gay nightclub Sunday pledged alliance to ISIS and referenced the Tsarnaev brothers during his shooting rampage, the Massachusetts State Police said.

The man authorities said shot and killed 50 people inside an Orlando gay nightclub Sunday pledged allegiance to ISIS and referenced the Tsarnaev brothers during his shooting rampage, the Massachusetts State Police said.

"During a conference call with federal law enforcement officials a short time ago, Massachusetts State Police and other local law enforcement authorities learned that the Orlando nightclub gunman, during his rampage, pledged allegiance to ISIS and referenced the Tsarnaev brothers, the terrorists who exploded bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon," State Police said in a statement.

The State Police said they continue to work with federal authorities who are investigating the "terrorist act." 

"As previously stated, the names of the gunman and his wife did not appear in any databases of potential terrorist suspects maintained by local authorities; however, law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts continue to work with federal authorities to learn more about the nature of the statement about the Tsarnaev brothers attributed to the Orlando terrorist," State Police said.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was sentenced to death in the Boston Marathon bombings, and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, killed three people and injured hundreds after they set off bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line in 2013.

The brothers are also accused of killing MIT police officer Sean Collier and other crimes in the days after the Marathon attacks. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed while police chased the brothers. 

Authorities have identified the Orlando nightclub shooter as Omar Mateen, a Florida man. 

President Barack Obama says the nightclub shooting in Orlando was an "act of terror" and an "act of hate." Watch video

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama decried the deadliest mass shooting in American history on Sunday as a terrorist act targeting a place of "solidarity and empowerment" for gays and lesbians. He urged Americans to decide "if that's the kind of country we want to be."

Hours after a gunman killed at least 50 people in Orlando, Obama said the FBI would investigate the nightclub shooting as terrorism, but said the alleged shooter's motivations were unclear. He said the U.S. "must spare no effort" to determine whether the suspect, identified by authorities as Omar Mateen, had any ties to extremist groups.

"What is clear is he was a person filled with hatred," Obama said of the alleged shooter. He added: "We know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate. And as Americans, we are united in grief, in outrage, and in resolve to defend our people."

Obama had planned to travel to Wisconsin on Wednesday for his first campaign appearance of the 2016 race, a joint rally with Hillary Clinton in Green Bay, Wisconsin. But Clinton's campaign and the White House said that event was being postponed in light of the attack.

The president, who has proclaimed June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, called the attack "heartbreaking" for the LGBT community. He said the site of the shooting was more than a nightclub because it was a place where people came "to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights."

"The shooter targeted a night club where people came together to be with friends to dance and to sing -- to live," Obama said.

For Obama, the hastily arranged remarks were the latest in what's become a tragically familiar routine. Since he took office in 2009, Obama has appeared before cameras more than a dozen times following mass shootings and issued written statements after many others.

The president made no new, specific call for stricter gun laws. Though he lamented "how easy it is" for people to get their hands on weapons, Obama appeared resigned to the likelihood that he'll be unable as president to substantially address the mass shootings that have proliferated in recent years.

"We have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be," Obama said. "To actively do nothing is a decision as well."

After a gunman in Newtown killed 20 first graders and six adults in 2012, Obama dedicated much of the start of his second term to pushing legislation to expand background checks, ban certain assault-style weapons and cap the size of ammunition clips. That measure collapsed in the Senate, and since then, the political makeup of Congress have made new gun laws appear out of reach. Still, Obama has sought to take incremental steps using his own authority to tighten rules for obtaining a gun.

Obama spoke from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, named after the former press secretary who was shot and permanently disabled in an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

He also signed a proclamation on Sunday ordering flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on Thursday in honor of the victims.

Vice President Joe Biden canceled a planned trip Sunday to Miami to hold a fundraiser for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. Biden's office said he would remain at his family home in Delaware while receiving updates about the shooting before returning to Washington in the evening.

 

___

Kevin Freking and Josh Lederman of the Associated Press wrote this report. Associated Press writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report.

Eight of nine people who attempt suicide with a gun are successful.

A total of 273 handguns, rifles and even antique weapons were turned into Northampton and Greenfield police departments during a firearms buy back held on Saturday.

The event, sponsored by Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan's office and the two police departments, allowed people to turn in weapons they no longer wanted. In turn owners received $50 gift cards for working guns, said Mary Carey, spokeswoman for the district attorney.

Having unsecured guns in homes is a danger to children and those contemplating suicide. Studies show eight of nine people who try to commit suicide with a gun are successful while 1 to 2 percent of people who try other methods die, Sullivan said.

"The aim is to get unwanted but working guns out of people's homes so they don't fall into the wrong hands," Carey said.

People were asked to bring in unloaded guns in a bag between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Police Department also accepted ammunition but did not give gift certificates for it, Carey said.

Northampton Police collected 178 weapons while Greenfield Police collected 95 guns.

Police collected a variety of weapons including long guns, rifles and shotguns. Some of the firearms turned in included a 9 mm semi-automatic gun, a .357-caliber Magnum and a .38-caliber Special.

"Someone brought in about 10 crudely modified firearms the police were glad to get out of circulation," Carey said.

Most of the guns that were turned in will be destroyed at WTE Recycling in Greenfield in the upcoming weeks, she said.

But more than a dozen of the guns turned in were more than 50 years old. The guns which are believed to have historic value will be brought to the Springfield Armory, she said.

Baystate Health, Valley Medical Group and a number of other organizations helped sponsor the event, she said.

In the last gun buy back held in October 2013, a total of 301 guns were collected, 160 in Greenfield and 141 in Northampton.

Omar Mateen, the shooter involved in the killing of 50 people inside an Orlando nightclub, had been investigated by the FBI in the past, according to law enforcement who spoke at a press conference Sunday afternoon.

Omar Mateen, the shooter involved in the killing of 50 people inside an Orlando nightclub, had been investigated by the FBI in the past, according to law enforcement who spoke at a press conference Sunday afternoon.

Mateen, 29, who Orlando Police identified as an American citizen born in New York, had been investigated by the FBI in 2013, according to Orlando Police.

FBI officials said Mateen was not under surveillance at the time of the attacks inside Pulse Orlando, a gay nightclub. The Associated Press reports that Mateen was interviewed twice in 2013 after making "inflammatory comments" to co-workers. 

Law enforcement officials said Mateen was then investigated in 2014 after it appeared he had ties to an American suicide bomber. The Associated Press reported the contact with the bomber was minimal. 

Mateen had two weapons at the time of the shooting, an assault rifle and handgun. Those guns were both purchased legally in Florida within the past week, Orlando Police said. 

Mateen worked as a security guard in Florida and have firearms licenses, according to NBC News. 

There were 50 people killed and another 53 injured in the shooting Sunday morning. Mateen was shot and killed by law enforcement at the club. NBC News said Mateen lived in Port St. Lucie and was married. He also has a young son. 

The Massachusetts State Police said Sunday that Mateen made references to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the brothers who killed three people and injured hundreds after they set off bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line in 2013.

Mateen also pledged his allegiance to ISIS during his rampage, the State Police said. 

Reuters said The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has claimed responsibility for the shooting and released a statement saying the attack was carried out by an Islamic State fighter. 

The Orlando killings inside club has become the worst mass shooting in United States history. 

Officials from the city of Orlando and the police department have released the names of some people killed during a mass shooting inside a nightclub Sunday morning.

ORLANDO, Florida -- Officials from the city of Orlando and the police department have released the names of some people killed during a mass shooting inside a nightclub Sunday morning. 

The names of four people were released Sunday just after 4 p.m. They are: Edward Sotomayor Jr., Stanley Almodovar III, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, and Juan Ramon Guerrero.

"On this very difficult day, we offer heartfelt condolences to today's victims and their families," the city of Orlando wrote in an online posting. "Our City is working tirelessly to get as much information out to the families so they can begin the grieving process. Please keep the following individuals in your thoughts and prayers."

Authorities are continuing to notify next of kin. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities said 50 people were killed and another 53 injured during the shooting inside Pulse Orlando, a gay nightclub. 

The shooter has been identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man who was shot and killed by law enforcement. Mateen claimed allegiance to ISIS and made reference to the two men responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings during his shooting rampage. 

This is the third annual walk through the Mason Square area of Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — As they walked down Oak, State, Hancock and Union streets marchers waived at children on bikes, people sitting on porches or peeking out through windows and riding in cars.

"This is an opportunity for us to step outside the church and into the community," said Rev. Angelo Dawson, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Pendleton Avenue Street in Springfield.

Dawson was joined for the march on Sunday by a group of pastors from surrounding churches and varying faiths to celebrate peace and acknowledge many forms of violence in the community from poverty to racism, domestic violence and drugs.

Marchers were led by members of the Springfield Police Department who cleared streets for them. Right in front was Springfield Police Chief John Barbieri.

"This is an opportunity for us to introduce our neighborhood officers to the residents and hopefully facilitate for them some interaction and impress upon them the need to police their own neighborhood," he said.

Barbieri said it is critical to have residents who are involved and willing to collaborate with police, citing the recent incident in the Forest Park neighborhood where a 19-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl were shot.

"We know that there were many people onsite and more than likely they know who the suspect is and for whatever reason won't say anything. Either they want to handle the situation themselves, they don't want to be labeled a snitch, or they simply don't care...," he said. " That person was willing to shoot in broad daylight and he is still on the street. There is no easy solution, but we have a better chance if we work together."

During the walk marchers remembered those who have been lost to violence in the neighborhood.

Various pastors including Dawson, Rev. Lauren Holm, of Bethesda Lutheran Church in Springfield, Rev. Juan Vera, of Iglesia Sinai in Springfield and others, said a prayer at several stops where people have been killed in the last few years.

Among those prayed for were Bobby Owens, 27, shot and killed on James Street in May and Brandon Daniels, 29, who was shot and killed on Walnut Street in 2013.

Springfield Police Officers Michael J. Schiavina and Alain Beauregard, killed on Stebbins Street in the city's Old Hill neighborhood more than 30 years ago were also remembered along with the victims of Sunday morning's night club shooting in Orlando, Florida.

"We pray that there will an end to violent deaths.... that we love each other and find peaceful ways to settle our differences, " Holm said.