TAMPA, Florida — A gay nightclub in Florida that was the site in June of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history will reopen as a memorial to the 49 people who were killed there, the owners of Pulse nightclub said in social media posts.
The owners of the club, in Orlando, did not provide further details about the memorial plans or when it would open.
The news was posted late Sunday to social media accounts for the OnePULSE Foundation, described as the official nonprofit of the club’s owners, created to assist victims. The website also described its mission as to “contribute to the creation of a permanent memorial at the existing site of Pulse Nightclub.”
“You heard right! We will be reopening Pulse as a memorial for the 49 lives who were taken from us on June 12th,” the organization said in a Facebook post.
A media contact for the club could not immediately be reached for comment.
The gunman in the June 12 attack, Omar Mateen, was killed by police after he took hostages during a three-hour standoff inside the nightclub. He also wounded 53 people in the attack, during which he pledged allegiance to Islamic extremists.
U.S. authorities said Mateen was self-radicalized and acted alone, without assistance or orders from abroad.