Anderson Cooper was fighting his emotions during tonight's newscast.
The CNN anchor was reporting from Orlando, Fla., tonight to give the latest updates on the horrific mass shooting that occurred at gay nightclub Pulse over the weekend, which left 49 dead and a number of people injured. And while reading the long list of victims' names who were killed during the devastating act, Cooper was finding it hard to not break down in tears.
Along with photos of the victims, Cooper offered a few facts about the deceased after stating each of the 48 of 49 names that were released, and at one point, Anderson had to clear his throat and apologize to viewers as he held back emotions and attempted to regain his composure.
"We begin tonight with their names, the names of the 48 out of 49 people that have so far been identified, victims of the deadliest mass shooting in American history, a shooting in a gay nightclub a block from where I'm standing two nights ago," Cooper began.
"There's one name you will not hear in the broadcast, one picture of a person you won't see. We will not say the gunman's name or show his photographer, it has been shown far too much already. Over the next two hours, we will tell you about the investigation, the latest, what we know drove the shooter to do the unthinkable.
"In the next two hours, we want to keep the focus where it belongs, on people whose lives were cut short, we're going to start by honoring them. There are more than a list of names, they're a people that were loved, people with families, friends, dreams. The truth is we don't know much about some of them. We want you to hear their names in a little bit about who they were."
The shooting, which has been named the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States, began when the gunman stormed the venue at about 2 a.m. EST on Sunday with an AR-15 type rifle and a handgun. This act of violence came during a series of national celebrations that mark LGBT Pride Month.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help support the victims of the Pulse shooting. In the description, the page states that they are working with the National Center for Victims of Crime. "This organization offers support to communities affected by mass casualty events in the form of the National Compassion Fund, and ensure that every penny donated will be correctly and quickly dispersed to the victims and families."
In just one day, the page has managed to raise $2.5 million of their $3 million goal.