2016 Pulse Night Club Massacre

On the night of June 12, 2016, The Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was hosting a "Latin Night," attracting a large crowd, many of whom were Latino. At approximately 2:02 a.m., Omar Mir Seddique Mateen opened fire inside the club, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. He then engaged in a standoff with police, taking hostages in a bathroom. After a three-hour standoff, law enforcement breached the building, and Mateen was killed in a shootout. ​ The Pulse nightclub shooting is marked as one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history and the deadliest incident of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in the United States.​

Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a 29-year-old American born in New Hyde Park, New York, to Afghan immigrant parents, was the perpetrator of the attack. He was employed as a security guard and had been investigated by the FBI in 2013 and 2014 for potential connections to terrorism, but no conclusive evidence was found at that time. Mateen legally purchased the firearms used in the shooting, a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, shortly before the attack. ​

During the attack, Mateen called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), citing U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East as a motive. However, investigations revealed that Mateen acted alone without direct orders from any militant organization. ​

Stanley Almodovar III, age 23

Amanda Alvear, age 25

Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, age 26

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, age 33

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, age 21

Martin Benitez Torres, age 33

Antonio D. Brown, age 30

Darryl R. Burt II, age 29

Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, age 24

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, age 28

Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, age 31

Juan Chavez-Martinez, age 25

Luis D. Conde, age 39

Cory J. Connell, age 21

Tevin E. Crosby, age 25

Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, age 50

Deonka D. Drayton, age 32

Mercedez M. Flores, age 26

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, age 22

Juan R. Guerrero, age 22

Paul T. Henry, age 41

Frank Hernandez, age 27

Miguel A. Honorato, age 30

Javier Jorge-Reyes, age 40

Jason B. Josaphat, age 19

Eddie J. Justice, age 30

Anthony L. Laureano Disla, age 25

Christopher A. Leinonen, age 32

Brenda L. Marquez McCool, age 49

Jean C. Mendez Perez, age 35

Akyra Monet Murray, age 18

Kimberly Morris, age 37

Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, age 27

Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, age 20

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, age 25

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, age 36

Joel Rayon Paniagua, age 32

Enrique L. Rios Jr., age 25

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, age 37

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, age 24

Christopher J. Sanfeliz, age 24

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, age 35

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, age 25

Edward Sotomayor Jr., age 34

Shane E. Tomlinson, age 33

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, age 25

Luis S. Vielma, age 22

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, age 37

Jerald A. Wright, age 31

Never forget the Victims