The Latest: Fund opened to help families in club shooting

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Latest on a Florida nightclub shooting: (all times local):

9:55 a.m.

The city of Fort Myers has opened a fund to assist the families affected by the nightclub shooting that killed two teenagers and wounded 17 other people.

In a statement , the city announced a partnership with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the United Way of Lee, Charlotte, Glades and Okeechobee Counties to open the TOGETHER Fort Myers fund.

Mayor Randall Henderson Jr. said there has been “a tremendous outpouring to our city from across the country.”

The United Way also is offering counselling services.

Sarah Owen of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation said the community was seeking donations and assistance much like it did after Hurricane Charley struck the area in 2004.

Donations can be made at www.FloridaCommunity.com.

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3 a.m.

Stephanie White clutches a stack of photos as images of her slain son air on television news accounts of a deadly nightclub shooting in Florida.

Her son was one of two teenagers killed early Monday at Club Blu, the latest in a string of mass shootings this summer.

With the Orlando massacre at the Pulse nightclub still fresh on her mind, White had advised her 18-year-old on what to do if there was a shooting: “Hit the floor; find a table.”

But when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of the Fort Myers club, 18-year-old Stef’an Strawder didn’t have anywhere to hide. He was killed along with a 14-year-old boy, and 17 people ranging in age from 12 to 27 were wounded during the swimsuit-themed party for teens.