Pulse Shooting Survivors Visit Club Before Demolition

Survivors and family members of victims of the 2016 Pulse shooting have begun visiting the site of the Orlando nightclub before its demolition to make way for a memorial.

49 people were killed and 53 wounded in the attack on the gay club after gunman Omar Mateen opened fire during a Latin celebration night nine years ago on June 12.

At the time, the incident was considered the deadliest mass shooting in US history, but was surpassed a year later when a shooting at country music festival in Las Vegas left 58 people dead and more than 850 injured.

For the last nine years, rainbow flags and photographs of those lost that night have been hanging on the fence of a makeshift memorial. A previous effort to build $100 million museum at the site fell through when the private nonprofit launched by the club’s former owner, the onePulse Foundation, collapsed after years of community mistrust and stalled fundraising.

In 2023, the city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property for $2 million, with plans to build a public-led, permanent memorial to honour the victims and their families. The memorial, which is believed to cost a more modest $12 million, is currently set to open in 2027.

Not all survivors revisiting the club: “it will be really hard to be in that space again”

Survivor Brandon Wolf, who hid in a bathroom during the attack, has chosen not to take part in the visits. His friends Drew Leinonen and Juan Guerrero were killed that night.

“I will say that the site of the tragedy is where I feel closest to the people who were stolen from me,” Wolf told the Associated Press. “For survivors, the last time they were in that space was the worst night possible. It will be really hard to be in that space again.”

Wolf is now the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, and has become an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ civil rights and gun-safety reform.

“The building may come down, and we may finally get a permanent memorial,” he said, “but that doesn’t change the fact that this community has been scarred for life. There are people inside the community who still need and will continue to need support and resources.”

25 of the 49 families accepted invitations to visit the site of the club. Mental health counsellors will be available, as will FBI agents involved in the investigation of the attack, who can help answer any questions that may arise.

The building that housed Pulse is set to be demolished later this year.