ORLANDO — June 12 marked a decade since the Pulse nightclub shooting, one of the deadliest attacks on LGBT people in modern U.S. history. The victims included sons, daughters, siblings, partners and friends, many from the Latino community.
The attack occurred in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. A gunman opened fire during the club’s Latin Night event, killing 49 people and wounding 58 others. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States at the time and the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.
The gunman was identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen of Afghan decent who worked as a security guard in the Fort Peirce area. He entered the club armed with a Sig Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a Glock pistol, both purchased legally days earlier. Mateen moved through the club, firing repeatedly before barricading himself with hostages in a bathroom area.
During the incident, Mateen made multiple calls to 911 in which he pledged allegiance to the ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He expressed anger over U.S. military actions in Syria and Iraq. The FBI later determined the attack was an act of terrorism inspired by Islamic extremism, carried out by a lone actor with no direct operational direction from the group. Motives were described as complex, involving ideological elements as well as possible personal factors.
An off-duty Orlando police officer working security initially exchanged fire with Mateen. After a standoff lasting roughly three hours, SWAT officers breached the building and engaged Mateen in a shootout. He was killed by police gunfire at approximately 5:14 a.m.
Mateen had been investigated by the FBI in 2013 and 2014 over concerns about possible extremist ties, but both cases were closed without charges. He left no manifesto. Mateen’s widow, Noor Salman, was acquitted in 2018 of charges related to the attack.
On its 10th anniversary, an annual Pulse Remembrance Ceremony was held Friday evening at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando. The event honored the victims; recognizing the strength of families, survivors, first responders and trauma teams impacted by the terror attack.
The program included musical performances by local cultural artists and the Orlando Gay Chorus, as well as a presentation by City of Orlando Poet Laureate Camara Gaither. It also featured participation by Angel Action Wings, a volunteer group that has promoted messages of love and acceptance in the city for more than a decade.
In remembrances the 49 names were read aloud to honor their lives.
- Stanley Almodovar III, 23
- Amanda Alvear, 25
- Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26
- Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33
- Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
- Martin Benitez Torres, 33
- Antonio D. Brown, 30
- Darryl R. Burt II, 29
- Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24
- Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28
- Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31
- Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
- Luis D. Conde, 39
- Cory J. Connell, 21
- Tevin E. Crosby, 25
- Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50
- Deonka D. Drayton, 32
- Mercedez M. Flores, 26
- Juan R. Guerrero, 22
- Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
- Paul T. Henry, 41
- Frank Hernandez, 27
- Miguel A. Honorato, 30
- Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
- Jason B. Josaphat, 19
- Eddie J. Justice, 30
- Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25
- Christopher A. Leinonen, 32
- Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49
- Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35
- Akyra Monet Murray, 18
- Kimberly Morris, 37
- Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27
- Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20
- Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25
- Eric I. Ortiz-Rivera, 36
- Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
- Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25
- Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37
- Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24
- Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24
- Xavier E. Serrano Rosado, 35
- Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25
- Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
- Shane E. Tomlinson, 33
- Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
- Luis S. Vielma, 22
- Luis D. Wilson-Leon, 37
- Jerald A. Wright, 31
The original Pulse building has been demolished as part of ongoing plans for a permanent memorial at the site, which is scheduled to open in 2027.
Author: Mario Lotmore
