They ranged in age from 18 to 50. They were dancers and students, a singer and a bouncer, an accountant and an aspiring firefighter mothers, fathers, teenagers, couples and best friends.
Several events were held on Saturday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, in which a gunman killed 49 people and injured dozens. At the time, this was the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history and immediately prompted calls for gun laws. NewsHour Weekend’s Ivette Feliciano speaks with two survivors about how the events of that night changed their lives.
Outside of Pulse nightclub are tributes to the victims.
Five years later, the pain of Pulse lingers
Grief swirls as survivors struggle with trauma, while plans for a $45 million museum and memorial take shape.
By
CHRIS URSOJune 9, 2021
ORLANDO Some nights, on his long drive home, he conjures up reasons to see the nightclub again.
It’s past midnight, usually, when he leaves work and pulls off at the Kaley Street exit. He drives past the blue hospital signs, past the dusty warehouse district where a museum is slated to rise. He makes a right turn onto South Orange Avenue, toward the stark black sign.