Government Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, the U.S. and state flags were flown at half-mast in honor of the victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando.
“Eight years ago, on June 12, 2016, a gunman claiming an alliance with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant committed a horrific act of terror against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando,” a memo from the governor.
“As a mark of respect for the victims, their families, and the many affected by this tragedy, I hereby direct that the flags of the United States and the State of Florida be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds in the entire state of Florida from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, June 12, 2024,” DeSantis said.
Pulse shooting was the deadliest at that time
The shooting on June 12, 2016 at the LGBTQ+ nightclub during a ‘Latin Night’ was the deadliest in modern American history at the time. A lone gunman, who was later shot dead by police after a three-hour standoff, left 49 people dead and 53 others injured.
The site was intended as a location for a memorial to the victims and a museum, and the onePULSE Foundation was established to honor and preserve the victims’ legacy and create “a shrine of hope,” according to previous U.S. reports . TODAY Network-Florida.
The plans were on hold indefinitely until late last year, when “Orlando’s mayor pledged to design, build and dedicate a permanent memorial by 2026,” the 10th anniversary of the shooting, WESH reported.
Who were the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting?
According to the city of Orlando’s website, the deaths were:
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Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old.
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Amanda L. Alvear, 25.
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Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26.
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Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, 33.
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Antonio Davon Brown, 29.
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Darryl Roman Burt II, 29.
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Angel Candelario-Padro, 28.
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Juan Chávez Martínez, 25.
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Luis Daniel Conde, 39.
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Cory James Connell, 21.
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Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25.
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Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32.
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Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31.
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Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25.
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Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26.
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Peter Ommy González Cruz, 22.
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Juan Ramón Guerrero, 22.
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Paul Terrell Henry, 41.
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Frank Hernández, 27.
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Miguel Angel Honorato, 30.
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Javier Jorge Reyes, 40.
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Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19.
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Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30.
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Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25.
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Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32.
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Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21.
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Brenda Marquez McCool, 49.
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Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25.
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Kimberly-Jean Morris, 37.
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Akyra Monet Murray, 18.
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Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20.
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Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25.
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Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36.
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Joël Rayon Paniagua, 32.
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Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35.
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Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25.
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Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez, 27.
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Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35.
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Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24.
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Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan, 24.
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Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34.
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Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33.
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Martin Benitez Torres, 33.
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Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24.
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Juan Pablo Rivera Velázquez, 37.
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Luis Sergio Vielma, 22.
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Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez, 50.
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Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37.
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Jerald Arthur Wright, 31.
Is it half mast or half mast?
Flags are flown at half-mast on ships and at naval stations ashore.
The flags are flown at half-mast on shore.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Flags at half staff to honor victims of the Pulse shooting eight years later
