Two years ago, a lone gunman entered the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida and opened fire. He killed 49 people and wounded dozens more.
On the 11th June, the popular Latin night at Pulse was in full swing. Pulse was a well-known LGBT club standing around a mile from downtown Orlando. That club has now become world-famous for the terrible atrocity and the events that would unfold well into the early hours of the 12th June. The attack would become the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in the United States.
That night, around 320 people were packed into the club, they were dancing, drinking and watching the entertainment. The night was just about to come to an end as last orders were announced at around 2:00 AM (the early morning on the 12th). At 2.02 AM the gunman entered the building and began shooting indiscriminately and holding terrified patrons hostage for hours before the siege was ended at 5:05 AM when police enforcement and a SWAT team stormed the building.
Dozens were killed and many received life-changing injuries.
Who are the victims?
- Stanley Almodovar III, age 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
- Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
- Juan R. Guerrero, 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
Here are the reports that we have from the night and the year beyond, that changed the LGBT community in the US.
12TH JUNE | Initial report of gunfire at Pulse
13TH JUNE | Cities around the UK stand still for Pulse Massacre Victims
15TH JUNE | Scottish Parliament holds one-minute silence for Orlando victims
16TH JUNE | Flash poll reveals that 25% percent of LGBTs fear for their safety after the massacre
17TH JUNE | COMMENT | Post Orlando, is this the end of an era or a rebirth for the gay scene?
19TH JUNE | COMMENT | Legal Guns? Ban Them
19TH JUNE | COMMENT | Seven days on, The legacy of the Pulse Massacre
20TH JUNE | The gunman’s 911 transcripts are released to the public
21ST JUNE | The US Senate blocks gun controls to known terrorists
23RD JUNE | COMMENT | A journey to Orlando
27th JUNE | BBC releases a Panorama programme to explore the tragedy
28TH JULY | Mother of Pulse massacre victim gives heartbreaking plea for US gun controls
5TH AUG | EDITOR’S EDITOR: Orlando gunman took our last safe space
8TH AUG | The gunman’s autopsy is released
24TH AUG | Orlando hospitals announce they will not bill massacre survivors
1ST SEPT | A survivor dies three months after the shooting at a house party
1ST NOV | The chilling 911 recordings from the shooter released
2017
17TH JAN | Wife of Pulse Massacre killer arrested
28TH MAR | Pulse Massacre victims’ families to sue Google
1ST JUNE | A survivor from the shooting, Jahqui Sevilla dies after a crash car
12TH JUN | Hillary Clinton pays tribute to the 49 victims
4TH SEPT | Plans to reopen the Pulse Nightclub are revealed
2018
2ND MAR | Jury selection begins for the trial of the of the Pulse Massacre shooter
31ST MAR US Jury acquits the wife of the Pulse Massacre shooter
The news team for THEGAYUK. Got tips? Go to www.thegayuk.com/newsdesk to tell us something.
