Pulse Nightclub Owners Won't Face Charges for Mass Shooting
newsweek.comNewsweek reached out to the Orlando Police Department via email on Wednesday for comment.Mateen opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, leaving 49 dead and 53 wounded.
Mateen, who had proclaimed his allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed by police after the three-hour standoff.Despite the allegations about the club owners, the police found no evidence that the Pomas acted "with a reckless disregard for human life," and "they could not have reasonably foreseen or anticipated a terrorist incident taking place at Pulse," investigators wrote in a report.Investigators also noted that the absence of building plans did not hinder the rescue operations and that it was impossible to verify the number of people present in the club on the night of the tragedy.
Additionally, the city of Orlando had not taken any action against the nightclub for its interior modifications, and there were too many uncertainties surrounding how Mateen gained entry to the venue.In the aftermath of the shooting, which was the deadliest in modern U.S.
history at the time, the Pulse property was sold to the city of Orlando for $2 million last year.However, before selling the property, Barbara Poma faced further scrutiny for her involvement with the onePulse Foundation, a nonprofit she co-founded to honor the victims and establish a memorial.
