Life

Memorial for victims of Pulse nightclub shooting set on fire by vandal

By Conor Clark

9th November 2021

Photo: Facebook [onePULSE Foundation]

A memorial for the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting was set on fire by a thug in an act that was caught on camera.

The onePULSE Foundation took to social media to confirm that the incident occurred on 12 October at around 8:30pm EST.

The post stated that “an individual damaged our offering wall” by setting it alight.

“Three Angel banners were burned along with other items within the affected area,” the statement said.

The Foundation posted an 18-minute-long video alongside the statement in which an individual, who appears to be in a wheelchair, approaches the memorial before setting it on fire and fleeing the scene.

Despite the horrific nature of what happened, the post is rounded off with a hashtag reading “#WeWillNotLetHateWin”.

On 12 June, 2016 Omar Mateen carried out what was then the worst mass shooting in US history at the Pulse nightclub.

A total of 49 people were killed and 53 were injured, making it the deadliest incident in the history of violence against LGBTQ+ people in the country.

It is also the deadliest terrorist attack in the US since the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

In 2017, the club’s owner, Barbara Poma, who is also the founder of the onePULSE Foundation, announced that the venue would be transformed into a museum and memorial for those who had lost their lives.

At the time, Poma said that the memorial “must and will be a healing initiative, one that I believe will inspire supporters who share our vision and understand the sacred responsibility to which we have been entrusted.”

She admitted she was “awestruck by how many people have stepped up and committed their hearts to this project.”

The charity’s “hope is that this memorial process will show that hate will not win” she added.

Those with information about the culprit are asked to contact the Orlando Police Department at 407-246-2470 and reference case number 2021-003-693-96.