Thousands remember victims of nightclub shooting

Associated Press

ORLANDO, FLA.

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.

Monday marked the anniversary of the shooting 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. He was killed by police after a three-hour standoff.

During a midday service, the Orlando Gay Chorus performed Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and speakers talked less about the tragedy and more about how Orlando area residents came together in the aftermath.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said the city will only partly be remembered for the shooting. Most of the patrons killed were gay Latinos.

At noon, church bells throughout the Orlando area rang 49 times.