City of Orlando buys Pulse nightclub property to build memorial to massacre victims

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The city of Orlando is moving forward with plans to create a memorial on the property of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred seven years ago.

City leaders agreed Monday night to purchase the property for $2 million. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said they plan a collaborative approach, working with families of the victims to create the memorial.

On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen opened fire in the gay nightclub, killing 49 and wounding another 53 people. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. But that number was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas.

A SWAT team killed Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, following a standoff.

Plans to build the memorial had been in the works for years, but the nonprofit onePulse Foundation announced earlier this year that it was scaling back plans for a $100 million memorial following fundraising challenges.

The building still stands, surrounded by a temporary display that honors the victims.

“We look forward to being a part of the discussion with the City of Orlando as this moves forward,” a statement from the onePulse Foundation said.