ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting (all times local):
10:45 p.m.
The owner of a gay nightclub that was the site of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history says she wanted to start and end the one-year commemoration of the tragedy at her nightclub.
Pulse owner Barbara Poma spoke late Monday night at the last of four services to remember the 49 patrons who were killed June 12, 2016, by a gunman at the Orlando nightclub.
Poma told the hundreds of people at the late night service outside Pulse that she was touched by their presence, given the late hour.
The first service started almost 24 hours earlier outside the club in a private ceremony for survivors, victims’ families, employees and local officials.
Forty-nine people were killed and dozens more were injured inside the nightclub after gunman Omar Mateen opened fire. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group during the massacre.
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10:20 p.m.
People dressed as angels with white billowing wings took the stage as the names of the 49 people killed in a gay nightclub massacre were read at a commemoration attended by thousands of residents in downtown Orlando.
City officials estimated that 15,000 people showed up for the memorial ceremony Monday evening at Lake Eola Park.
It was one of four services held over almost 24 hours to mark the first anniversary of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
As the names of the 49 patrons killed at Pulse nightclub were read, a person dressed as an angel took to the stage and a bell was rung.
The downtown ceremony was held at an amphitheater that was painted in gay-pride rainbow colors after the massacre at the Pulse nightclub.
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8 p.m.
Rain didn’t deter thousands of people from showing up in downtown Orlando at a remembrance for the 49 victims killed during the gay nightclub massacre a year ago.
The “Remembering Our Angels” commemoration Monday evening was delayed by less than an hour because of showers. It was the third of four services scheduled over almost 24 hours to mark the one-year passing of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The evening service took place in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando at an amphitheater that was painted in gay-pride rainbow colors after the massacre at the Pulse nightclub. A fountain in the center of the park was lit in rainbow lights.
Monday marked the anniversary of the shooting on June 12, 2016. Forty-nine people were killed and dozens more were injured inside the nightclub after gunman Omar Mateen opened fire. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group during the massacre.
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7:15 p.m.
An anti-gay protester was pushed to the ground by a police officer and handcuffed next door to the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando as hundreds of people gathered to remember the one-year mark of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Local television stations showed officers talking Monday to two protesters with an anti-gay sign and wearing anti-gay slogans on their shirts. The men argued with the officers that they had a right to be there.
An officer can be seen holding out his hand to keep one of the men from going any further as the man pushes back against his hand. Moments later, the officer pushes the man back and the man falls down. He is handcuffed as the crowd chants “love conquers hate.”
Spokeswomen for the police and city didn’t return an email or phone call, and it was unknown if the man was taken into custody or charged.
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6:10 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida says the 49 patrons who were killed at the Pulse nightclub a year ago didn’t die in vain.
Nelson, and Florida’s other U.S. senator, Republican Marco Rubio, on Monday introduced a resolution honoring the memory of the 49 victims who died in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Nelson spoke about the Pulse massacre on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Monday.
Earlier in the day, he attended a service at the gay nightclub in Orlando before flying back to Washington.
Nelson hailed the first-responders who rescued patrons from the club and offered support for victims’ families.
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3:20 p.m.
President Trump is remembering the 49 people who died at a gay nightclub in Florida a year ago.
Trump tweeted Monday that he will never forget the victims who lost their lives in the horrific shooting.
Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire in the Orlando nightclub on June 12, 2016, and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State before he was killed by police.
Services are being held all day Monday, flags are half-staff and church bells in Orlando rang 49 times in remembrance of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
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1:55 p.m.
Stars at the Tony Awards were asked if they thought America has gotten more tolerant in the year since the gay nightclub massacre in Orlando, and many of them said it has not.
The movie and theater stars attending the Tony Awards were asked about tolerance Sunday night, a year since 49 people were fatally shot at the Pulse nightclub in Florida on June 12, 2016.
Actor John Lithgow said he felt that America was in a “strangely retrograde time.”
Actress Glenn Close says she feels some people have grown more tolerant in the past year, but others haven’t. She says “we still have work to do.”
Last year’s Tony Awards were held on the day of the shooting and it was acknowledged throughout show.
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12:30 p.m.
The owner of the gay nightclub in Florida that was the site of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history says she misses the club.
Pulse owner Barbara Poma said Monday during a midday service outside the nightclub that she is planning to open a memorial at the site of the club, which has been closed since the massacre. “I miss Pulse,” she said.
Monday marked the anniversary of the shooting on June 12, 2016. Forty-nine people were killed and dozens more were injured inside the nightclub.
She says that people ask her what has changed in her life since the tragedy, and she says “everything.”
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12:20 p.m.
Two mayors who were an integral part of the healing after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando are speaking during a memorial service.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs encouraged the city to continue healing and talked about how the tragedy won’t define the city. They both said Monday that the courage and compassion shown after the tragedy will be what is remembered most.
Monday marked the anniversary of the shooting June 12, 2016. Forty-nine people were killed inside the nightclub.
The Orlando Gay Chorus performed four songs and the names of all of the victims were read as part of the ceremony.
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10:55 a.m.
Hundreds of people in Orlando, Florida, are leaving flowers, cards and drawings at the Pulse nightclub to remember the victims who were killed a year ago.
Many people cried and strangers hugged each other during solemn remembrances on Monday.
Erin Anderson and Jeannine Williams are both Orlando residents who came by in observance. Anderson was a friend and former co-worker of shooting victim Xavier Serrano Rosado, who was one of 49 people killed by Omar Mateen.
Williams knew many of the victims because she used to live within walking distance of Pulse and was a frequent visitor. She had planned to go the night of the shooting but at the last minute changed her mind and went to another club.
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9:20 a.m.
Hundreds of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder outside the Pulse nightclub, remembering the 49 victims on the first anniversary of the mass shooting in Orlando.
The name of each victim was read aloud, starting at 2:02 a.m. Monday. That’s the exact time Omar Mateen starting firing shots one year ago during “Latin Night” at the gay nightclub in the heart of downtown Orlando.
At noon, church bells throughout the city will ring 49 times. Gov. Rick Scott has also ordered flags around Florida to be flown at half-staff on Monday.
Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during the attack and was eventually killed by police during a shootout after a three-hour standoff. His wife, Noor Salman, is facing charges of aiding and abetting and obstruction in federal court, and she has pleaded not guilty to helping her husband.
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3:10 a.m.
A year after the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, residents in Florida were remembering the 49 patrons who were killed at a gay nightclub with three services at the Pulse club and a large evening gathering in the heart of downtown Orlando.
Gov. Rick Scott ordered flags around Florida to be flown at half-staff Monday, and at noon, church bells throughout Orlando were scheduled to ring 49 times.
Monday’s services culminate days of events to honor the 49 people killed and dozens wounded in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016.
A foot race was held over the weekend, and eight gay and lesbian students were awarded $4,900 toward their college studies by a local businessman.
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