Pulse Nightclub said Monday that it had
mistakenly announced that it was reopening as a memorial to the 49
people killed there on June 12.
The OnePulse Foundation, which was set
up by the owners of the gay nightclub to “provide financial
assistance to the victims” and “contribute to the creation of a
permanent memorial,” wrote Sunday in an Instagram post that Pulse
“will be reopening as a memorial.”
“OOPS! Looks like we got the media's
pulse racing with an inadvertent Instagram posting that incorrectly
stated the Pulse Nightclub was reopening as a memorial,” the club
said in a
statement. It goes on to state owner Barbara Poma's desire to
one day create a memorial at the site.
Pulse became the site of the deadliest
mass shooting in U.S. history when a lone gunman opened fire in the
nightclub, killing 49 people and wounding dozens. Outside the club,
a makeshift memorial made from flowers and stuffed animals honors the
victims.
The city of Orlando is planning a
permanent memorial.