An unidentified vandal set fire to several banners hanging at the Pulse Memorial, a monument to the 49 victims of the 2016 nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida.
The onePulse Foundation–the group responsible for curating the site–released a video over the weekend that shows a man in a wheelchair setting the fire. Flags, posters, photos, banners, and messages were all damaged in the arson.
“On October 12 around 8:30 p.m. EST, an individual damaged our offering wall,” the group wrote on its Facebook page. “Three Angel banners were burned along with other items within the affected area. If you know this individual, please call the OPD information line at 407-246-2470 and reference case number 2021-003-693-96.”
(OP edit: video from different source)
At the time of this writing, police have not yet identified any suspects in the attack.
“Fire investigators are working the case,” Jenny DeSantis, spokesperson for the Orlando Fire Department, was quoted by USA Today. “This is an open and active investigation.”
The Pulse Massacre took place on June 12, 2016 when a gunman named Omar Mateen opened fire in the nightclub murdering 49 people and injuring more than 50 others. Mateen then engaged in a police standoff which lasted three hours before SWAT team members stormed the building and killed Mateen. In the aftermath of the attack, investigators revealed that Mateen said he’d planned the attack as vengeance for anti-ISIL strikes by the American military in Iraq and Syria.
