A group of more than 35 survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida in 2016 are suing the city and its police force for not doing enough to stop the shooter and violating the Constitutional rights of the injured and killed, CBS News reports. The shooting, which left 50 dead and 53 more hospitalized, took place almost exactly two years ago by Omar Mateen, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during a standoff with police. He was eventually killed by police.
The group argues that police could have prevented mass casualties by going after Mateen more aggressively. One Orlando Police Department Officer, who was working an extra-duty shift at Pulse that night, allegedly abandoned his post at the same time Mateen entered the club to check it out before grabbing his weapons. That officer, named Adam Gruler, was eventually hailed as a hero for shooting at Mateen from outside the club—he was honored by the city and invited to President Trump’s State of the Union speech—but Mateen still fired more than 200 rounds in the club in less than five minutes.
The lawsuit also lists other officers, some who failed to catch Mateen and others who took survivors to the Orlando police headquarters for interviews after the attack. The suit also argues police did not allow survivors to use their phones or leave the area, even after police had already secured the nightclub.
"The detainees were not permitted to use their phones, contact their loved ones, or leave,” attorneys wrote in the court document. “They were detained as though they were criminals, by these defendants despite there being not a shred of evidence nor any lawful basis to suspect that any of the detainees had committed a crime.”
"I believe victims of the Pulse shooting deserve better. We deserved better," Keinon Carter, a survivor of the shooting, said at a news conference Thursday. "We deserved to be rescued sooner by law enforcement."
"We can't comment on the substance of the litigation," Orlando police and the city of Orlando said in a statement provided to CBS. "On the morning of June 12, 2016, federal, state and local law enforcement officers and first responders put themselves in harm's way to save as many lives as possible. Our first responders are committed to the safety of this community, and they stand ready to protect and serve."
In related news, two months after the shooting, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer expressed his desire to make the nightclub a permanent memorial for people to pay their respects to victims. In early May of this year, the onePULSE Foundation unveiled an “interim” memorial at the nightclub that featured “colorful photos and commemorative art,” per the Orlando Sentinel.
