Orlando victim's brother thought his 'dying' text was a joke

Santos Rodriquez really thought his brother was joking — they do that a lot.

"Lmao," he texted back. "Lmao."

The first text from his brother Jeff had come in at 2:25 a.m. on Sunday.

Orlando Nightclub Shooting Graphiq

"I beenx shot at club... dying I love you," the text read. "Dead bodies on top of me."

"Huh?" Santos Rodriquez texted as more desperate messages popped up — "Im bleeding" and "Im dying" and "Call mami."

It was only after 3:30 a.m. that Santos Rodriquez realized it was no joke — his brother had been shot three times in the slaughter at Orlando's Pulse nightclub.

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He's currently hospitalized and awaiting surgery; Santos Rodriquez has not been able to see him yet.

"I just want to see him and say like, I believe you now... I'm sorry that I didn't believe your text," he told NBC News.

Read the texts between the brothers below.

Credit: Santos Rodriquez