Shooting at a Pulse nightclub: in memory of the 49 victims

It's been eight years since the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, which took the lives of 49 people and injured 53 others, during one of the darkest days in American history.

About 320 people were inside Pulse nightclub, a popular LGBTQ+ venue, in the early hours of June 12, 2016, when a 29-year-old man entered the building with two weapons. The venue was hosting a “Latin Night” at the time and most of the people in attendance were Latinx.

As the man opened fire, people inside Pulse nightclub called and texted friends and relatives for help. And then, at 2:09 a.m., a chilling message was posted on the gym's Facebook page: “Everyone, get out of Pulse and keep running. »

Shortly after 5 a.m., the shooter was shot dead.

Eight years later, the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub remains the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community in U.S. history.

The events of that night sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community around the world, as news spread that 49 people aged 18 to 50 had been shot.

Over the years that have passed, families, friends and loved ones of those who have died have worked hard to ensure that those whose lives were cruelly cut short are never forgotten.

Every year in June, vigils are held in Florida to remember those who have passed away. This year's anniversary comes after a series of mass shootings across America and amid renewed calls for gun reform.

Survivors of Pulse nightclub massacre call for gun law reform

Following a number of mass shootings, including one at a school in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022 that left 19 children and two adults dead, calls for gun reform have become even stronger in the United States.

Survivors of the shooting have been using their voices to demand change for years, and many are growing tired.

“I’ll believe it when I see it because we’ve been asking for it for years,” Orlando Torres said. MyNews13 following the Uvalde shooting. “It's a shame. Look at what was taken in the last shootings. Innocent little children of 9 or 10 years old.

Patience Murray, another survivor, shared her frustrations with The Guardian, saying: “We've had so many survivors, so many families who have been left behind and telling their stories. And they're vulnerable, they give their whole heart to these leaders, and then nothing happens.

Leonel Melendez, 43, spoke about the lasting effects of that traumatic night in an interview with the New York Post in 2021, as the world marked the fifth anniversary of the shooting.

“I can't hear on my left side and I use a hearing aid…I've lost some of my vision,” Melendez said.

“I was somewhat of a miracle, but my recovery was long and difficult.”

He added: “[Lawmakers] should ensure that not just anyone can own a firearm. Gun control must be stricter.

“You would have to pass a background test and a psychological test before you can own a gun. There must be a better solution, it should be more controlled. If there had been more restrictions on gun ownership, this would never have happened. »

Who were the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting?

On the eighth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, we are sharing the names of those who lost their lives to ensure they are never forgotten.

Stanley Almodóvar III, 23 years old
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Antonio D. Brown, 30 years old
Darryl R. Burt II, 29
Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Simon A Carrillo Fernández, 31 years old
Juan Chavez-Martinez, 25 years old
Luis D Condé, 39 years old
Cory J Connell, 21 years old
Tevin E Crosby, 25 years old
Franky J Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Deonka D. Drayton, 32
Mercedes M. Flores, 26 years old
Peter O Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Juan R. Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul T. Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernández, 27 years old
Miguel A Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Jason B. Jehoshaphat, 19 years old
Eddie J. Justice, 30 years old
Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25 years old
Christopher A. Leinonen, 32 years old
Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49
Jean C Mendez Pérez, 35 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27 years old
Luis O Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joël Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Enrique L. Rios Jr, 25 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menéndez, 25 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane E. Tomlinson, 33
Leroy Valentin Fernández, 25 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Léon, 37 years old
Jerald A. Wright, 31