Latest news with #massShooting
Reuters
3 days ago
- Reuters
Social media companies not liable for 2022 mass shooting, New York appeals court rules
July 25 (Reuters) - Several social media companies should not be held liable for helping an avowed white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in 2022 at a Buffalo, New York grocery store, a divided New York state appeals court ruled on Friday. Reversing a lower court ruling, the state Appellate Division in Rochester said defendants including Meta Platforms' (META.O), opens new tab Facebook and Instagram, Google's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab YouTube, and Reddit were entitled to immunity under a federal law that protects online platforms from liability over user content. The plaintiffs included relatives or representatives of people who died in Peyton Gendron's racially motivated mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022, as well as store employees and customers who witnessed it.
Al Arabiya
16-06-2025
- Al Arabiya
Pulse Nightclub: A haunting look inside before the mass shooting site is razed
Nine years after a gunman opened fire in an LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in central Florida, killing 49 people, bullet holes can be seen in walls, while glittering disco balls and lit-up bulbs on dressing room mirrors make the venue seem frozen in time. The Associated Press and other media outlets on Monday were allowed for the first time inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. The viewing came days after survivors and family members of the slain were given the opportunity to walk through the nightclub before it is razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst US mass shooting in modern times. The club had been cleaned, furniture was removed, and lighting was installed ahead of the walk-throughs. The Pulse shooting's death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Out of respect for survivors and family members, journalists on Monday weren't allowed to take photos or videos inside the nightclub. About 300 patrons were packed into the 4,500-square-foot (418-square-meter) club around last call when Mateen entered the venue and began shooting. Music was blaring from DJ tables, and strobe lights lit up the dance floor, according to an incident review by the FBI. The club had a main dance floor to the right of the entrance, a smaller Adonis room behind the entrance, and a fenced-in outdoor patio. Bathrooms were along a wall next to the Adonis room. Some patrons on the patio escaped after an employee kicked a hole in a fence. Dozens of others crammed into the bathrooms and a dressing room. Many on the dance floor were gunned down as Mateen fired 200 rounds in less than five minutes. After officers entered the club, Mateen barricaded himself in one of the bathrooms. Eventually, officers used explosives and an armored vehicle to make a breach in the wall between the two bathrooms and another breach in the wall of one of the bathrooms. On Monday, the covered hole in the wall between the bathrooms was still visible, as was the covered hole in the restroom. Some bullet holes had been plugged, and others were covered with white tape. A cash register lay on a desk at the club's entrance, and a money safe was hidden to the side of the desk–a testament to a time when cash was more common. A poster at the club's entrance advertised a Dominican Pride Night that was to have taken place two days after the massacre. With the club's power turned back on, a small circular stage in the Adonis room had rainbow lights rotating underneath it, and the bulbs were lit up in the dressing room where the club's performers used to get ready. Above a stage on the main dance floor, three disco balls glittered from light thrown off from a metallic chandelier. On the main dance floor, part of the wood flooring was pulled up, revealing a concrete floor. On the long bar abutting the dance floor was a sign that said in big orange letters '#HUGS NOT HATE.' The nightclub is scheduled to be demolished later this year. The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. Those efforts followed a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club's former owner.
The Independent
16-06-2025
- The Independent
Pulse nightclub: A haunting look inside before the mass shooting site is razed
Nine years after a gunman opened fire in an LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in central Florida, killing 49 people, bullet holes can be seen in walls while glittering disco balls and lit-up bulbs on dressing room mirrors make the venue seem frozen in time. The Associated Press and other media outlets on Monday were allowed for the first time inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando where a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. The viewing came days after survivors and family members of the slain were given the opportunity to walk through the nightclub before it is razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst U.S. mass shooting in modern times. The club had been cleaned, furniture was removed and lighting was installed ahead of the walk-throughs. The Pulse shooting's death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Out of respect for survivors and family members, journalists on Monday weren't allowed to take photos or videos inside the nightclub. About 300 patrons were packed into the 4,500 square foot (418-square-meter) club around 'last call' when Mateen entered the venue and began shooting. Music was blaring from DJ tables and strobe lights lit up the dance floor, according to an incident review by the FBI. The club had a main dance floor to the right of the entrance, a smaller 'Adonis room' behind the entrance and a fenced-in outdoor patio. Bathrooms were along a wall next to the Adonis room. Some patrons on the patio escaped after an employee kicked a hole in a fence. Dozens of others crammed into the bathrooms and a dressing room. Many on the dance floor were gunned down, as Mateen fired 200 rounds in less than five minutes. After officers entered the club, Mateen barricaded himself in one of the bathrooms. Eventually, officers used explosives and an armored vehicle to make a breach in the wall between the two bathrooms and another breach in the wall of one of the bathrooms. On Monday, the covered hole in the wall between the bathrooms was still visible, as was the covered hole in the restroom. Some bullet holes had been plugged and others were covered with white tape. A cash register lay on a desk at the club's entrance and a money safe was hidden to the side of the desk, a testament to a time when cash was more common. A poster at the club's entrance advertised a 'Dominican Pride Night' that was to have taken place two days after the massacre. With the club's power turned back on, a small, circular stage in the Adonis room had rainbow lights rotating underneath it, and the bulbs were lit up in the dressing room where the club's performers used to get ready. Above a stage on the main dance floor, three disco balls glittered from light thrown off from a metallic chandelier. On the main dance floor, part of the wood flooring was pulled up, revealing a concrete floor. On the long bar abutting the dance floor was a sign that said in big orange letters, '# HUGS NOT HATE.' The nightclub is scheduled to be demolished later this year. The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. Those efforts followed a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club's former owner. ___
Associated Press
16-06-2025
- Associated Press
Pulse nightclub: A haunting look inside before the mass shooting site is razed
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Nine years after a gunman opened fire in an LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in central Florida, killing 49 people, bullet holes can be seen in walls while glittering disco balls and lit-up bulbs on dressing room mirrors make the venue seem frozen in time. The Associated Press and other media outlets on Monday were allowed for the first time inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando where a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. The viewing came days after survivors and family members of the slain were given the opportunity to walk through the nightclub before it is razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst U.S. mass shooting in modern times. The club had been cleaned, furniture was removed and lighting was installed ahead of the walk-throughs. The Pulse shooting's death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Out of respect for survivors and family members, journalists on Monday weren't allowed to take photos or videos inside the nightclub. About 300 patrons were packed into the 4,500 square foot (418-square-meter) club around 'last call' when Mateen entered the venue and began shooting. Music was blaring from DJ tables and strobe lights lit up the dance floor, according to an incident review by the FBI. The club had a main dance floor to the right of the entrance, a smaller 'Adonis room' behind the entrance and a fenced-in outdoor patio. Bathrooms were along a wall next to the Adonis room. Some patrons on the patio escaped after an employee kicked a hole in a fence. Dozens of others crammed into the bathrooms and a dressing room. Many on the dance floor were gunned down, as Mateen fired 200 rounds in less than five minutes. After officers entered the club, Mateen barricaded himself in one of the bathrooms. Eventually, officers used explosives and an armored vehicle to make a breach in the wall between the two bathrooms and another breach in the wall of one of the bathrooms. On Monday, the covered hole in the wall between the bathrooms was still visible, as was the covered hole in the restroom. Some bullet holes had been plugged and others were covered with white tape. A cash register lay on a desk at the club's entrance and a money safe was hidden to the side of the desk, a testament to a time when cash was more common. A poster at the club's entrance advertised a 'Dominican Pride Night' that was to have taken place two days after the massacre. With the club's power turned back on, a small, circular stage in the Adonis room had rainbow lights rotating underneath it, and the bulbs were lit up in the dressing room where the club's performers used to get ready. Above a stage on the main dance floor, three disco balls glittered from light thrown off from a metallic chandelier. On the main dance floor, part of the wood flooring was pulled up, revealing a concrete floor. On the long bar abutting the dance floor was a sign that said in big orange letters, '# HUGS NOT HATE.' The nightclub is scheduled to be demolished later this year. The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. Those efforts followed a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club's former owner. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @
CBS News
12-06-2025
- CBS News
Pulse massacre survivors revisit the nightclub before it's razed for a permanent memorial
Survivors and family members of the 49 victims killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre nine years ago got their first chance Wednesday to walk through the long-shuttered, LGBTQ+-friendly Florida venue before it is razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst U.S. mass shooting in modern times. In small groups over four days, survivors and family members of those killed can spend half an hour inside the space where Omar Mateen opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, leaving 49 dead and 53 wounded. Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The Pulse shooting's death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. Those efforts follow a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club's former owner. The existing structure will be razed later this year. Christine Leinonen, whose son, Christopher "Drew" Leinonen was killed in the mass shooting, was among the first groups to go inside the club on Wednesday. Leinonen, who has been a fierce critic of the police response, the investigation into the mass shooting and the nightclub's owner, said she wanted to see the space where her son died. "It's not closure. It's pragmatic for me because I needed to see the space. I needed to see how big it was," Leinonen said afterward. "I would have regretted it if I didn't go through it." Visits coincide with the shooting's ninth anniversary The opportunity to go inside the nightclub comes on the ninth anniversary of the mass shooting. Outside, oversize photos of the victims, rainbow-colored flags and flowers have hung on fences in a makeshift memorial, and the site has attracted visitors from around the globe. But very few people other than investigators have been inside the structure. Donna Wyche, City of Orlando Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, answers questions at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on the eve of the mass shooting's 9th anniversary, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) Joe Burbank / AP Around 250 survivors and family members of those killed responded to the city's invitation to walk through the nightclub this week. Families of the 49 people who were killed were able to visit the site with up to six people in their group, and survivors could bring one person with them. The club had been cleaned and lighting has been installed ahead of the walk-throughs. The people invited to visit were given the chance to ask FBI agents who investigated the massacre about what happened. They weren't allowed to take photos or video inside. On Wednesday, a security screen shielded the entrance to the club as the visitors got off a small bus and walked into a white tent at the venue's entrance. Some of those who had planned to come backed out at the last minute. Brandon Wolf, who hid in a bathroom as the gunman opened fire, said he wasn't going to visit, primarily because he now lives in Washington. He said he wanted to remember Pulse as it was before. "I will say that the site of the tragedy is where I feel closest to the people who were stolen from me," said Wolf, who is now national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBTQ+ advocacy group. "For survivors, the last time they were in that space was the worst night possible. It will be really hard to be in that space again." Mental health counselors planned to be on hand to talk to those who walk through the building. Original memorial plans for Pulse fell short Survivors and family members had hoped to have a permanent memorial in place by now. An earlier effort by a private foundation to build one floundered, and the organization disbanded in 2023. Barbara and Rosario Poma and business owner Michael Panaggio previously owned the property, and Barbara Poma was the executive director of the onePulse Foundation — the nonprofit that had been leading efforts to build a memorial and museum. She stepped down as executive director in 2022 and then left the organization in 2023 amid criticism that she wanted to sell instead of donate the property. There were also complaints about the lack of progress despite millions of dollars being raised. The original project, unveiled in 2019 by the onePulse Foundation, called for a museum and permanent memorial costing $45 million. That estimate eventually soared to $100 million. The city of Orlando has since outlined a more modest proposal and scrapped plans for a museum. "The building may come down, and we may finally get a permanent memorial, but that doesn't change the fact that this community has been scarred for life," Wolf said. "There are people inside the community who still need and will continue to need support and resources."
