Watch live: Orlando Pulse Nightclub demolition
ORLANDO, Fla. - Construction crews began to demolish the Pulse Nightclub building in Orlando on Wednesday morning, nearly 10 years after 49 people were killed, and 53 others were hurt in a mass shooting at the LGBTQ club.
The shooting happened on June 12, 2016. Nearly 300 people were inside the club celebrating Latin Night.
Last week, the iconic Pulse Nightclub sign was removed and secured. It is intended to be part of the Pulse Memorial.
Pulse Nightclub sign removed ahead of demolition
At the site of the former Pulse Nightclub, were a mass shooting took place nearly 10 years ago, the sign was removed on March 11 in preparation for a memorial to be built.
The backstory:
On June 12, 2016, Pulse nightclub in Orlando was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
The nightclub quickly became a symbol of LGBTQ resilience and grief, and the site has functioned as an informal memorial for survivors, families, and the wider community.
Over the years, local authorities and survivors collaborated on a conceptual design for a permanent memorial to honor those lost.
Remembering Orlando's 49 fallen angels
These are the names of the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. We will never forget them.
- Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
- Amanda L. Alvear, 25 years old
- Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26 years old
- Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, 33 years old
- Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
- Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
- Angel Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
- Juan Chavez Martinez, 25 years old
- Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
- Cory James Connell, 21 years old
- Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
- Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
- Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31 years old
- Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
- Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
- Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz, 22 years old
- Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
- Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
- Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
- Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
- Javier Jorge Reyes, 40 years old
- Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
- Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
- Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25 years old
- Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
- Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
- Brenda Marquez McCool, 49 years old
- Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25 years old
- Kimberly Jean Morris, 37 years old
- Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
- Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20 years old
- Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25 years old
- Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
- Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
- Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
- Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
- Jean Carlos Nieves Rodríguez, 27 years old
- Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35 years old
- Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
- Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan, 24 years old
- Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
- Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
- Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
- Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24 years old
- Juan Pablo Rivera Velázquez, 37 years old
- Luis Sergio Vielma, 22 years old
- Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez, 50 years old
- Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
- Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
Pulse Memorial plans
Permanent Pulse Memorial plans reach 'major milestone'
Plans for a permanent memorial honoring the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando have reached a new milestone as the project moves through its design phase.
The city of Orlando plans to build a roughly $12 million permanent memorial on the site, featuring elements such as an Angel Ellipse, a reflecting pool, Prism Plaza, and private gathering spaces. The city hopes to complete the memorial by fall 2027.