March 29, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Pulse Survivors Sue Police

A number of survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting and families of those slain have filed a lawsuit alleging that Orlando law enforcement failed to prevent or sooner bring the massacre to a stop. The lawsuit comes just days before the two-year anniversary of the June 12, 2016 shooting.

More than 35 individuals signed on to the suit as plaintiffs, including six people shot during the Pulse shooting, six family members of individuals killed in the attack, 20 uninjured survivors, and a former police officer who responded to the shooting, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. 

The lawsuit singles out Adam Gruler, an off-duty police officer that was trusted to guard the parking lot of Pulse the night of the shooting, and 30 “John Doe” police officers unnamed in documents at the moment.

“These defendants chose to allow the patrons of the club to be massacred while these defendants ensured only that they themselves were safe,” the lawsuit reads. “These defendants knew that there were innocent people being massacred and that they themselves were the only ones who could stop it, and that it was their job to do so, yet they still, in a manner that shocks the conscience, chose to disregard the safety of the patrons while instead ensuring only that they themselves were safe.”

The suit says failure to protect those inside Pulse violated plaintiffs’ civil rights and that police were “deliberately indifferent” to those rights. Of Gruler, the suit says his actions were “so egregious and outrageous it shocks the conscience.” Gruler provided security in the parking lot for Pulse most of the night but left his post to track down a suspected individual going into the club with a fake ID. During that time, shooter Omar Mateen, who’d been in the club earlier that night, pulled a rental van into the parking lot and pulled out a Sig Sauer MCX rifle and Glock handgun before returning to Pulse and shooting patrons.

The suit specifically highlights the danger of Gruler’s decision to leave his station: “Defendant Gruler knew that abandoning his post was inherently dangerous and would practically invite violence, but he abandoned his post anyway.”

Security footage of the shooting shows Mateen re-entered the club at 2:01 a.m. While Gruler fired at Mateen from the parking lot, he did not follow the shooter into the club.

Gruler testified in the March trial for Mateen’s widow and afterward spoke to The Advocate. When asked if he would have responded differently in retrospect, he declined to hypothesize and instead said the community in advance of the two-year anniversary should focus on healing together.

The City of Orlando and the Orlando Police Department released a statement declining to comment on the lawsuit specifically but reiterating that “On the morning of June 12, 206, federal, state and local law enforcement officers and first responders put themselves in harm’s way to save as many lives as possible.”

At a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Pulse survivor Keinon Carter, who was pronounced dead at multiple points while being treated for his injuries, said his life had been changed forever by the event.

“Victims of the Pulse shooting deserved better security and protection than what was provided,” he said.

Tags: , , in CRIME
Related Posts

Arrest Made in Shocking Blair Hills Sexual Assault: Culver City Police Apprehend Suspect

January 5, 2024

January 5, 2024

Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims Announced the Arrest This Morning Breaking news: There has been an arrest in the...

California Trans Child Molester Gets 2 Years In Juvenile Facility

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

A Los Angeles County judge ordered Hannah Tubbs, a transgender California woman, to serve two years in a juvenile facility...

WeHo Urges Residents To Stay Alert Due To Recent Assaults

January 6, 2022

January 6, 2022

The City of West Hollywood and West Hollywood’s Sheriff’s Station is offering tips to encourage public safety in the community. ...

Attack in WeHo Leaves 5-Year Resident in Hospital

December 16, 2021

December 16, 2021

Matthew McGrath, a five-year resident of West Hollywood, spent two weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries after he...

LA County Addresses Disproportionate Amount Of Women and LGBTQ Populations In L.A. Jails

November 16, 2021

November 16, 2021

On Tuesday, October 19, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion that the board hopes will do...

MS-13’s Stronghold On MacArthur Park And Transphobia

September 15, 2021

September 15, 2021

MS-13, a vicious street gang, continues its stronghold on MacArthur Park making it unsafe for many who visit but specifically...

Podcast Host Mat George Killed In Hit-And-Run

July 19, 2021

July 19, 2021

Mathew George, gay co-host of the podcast “She Rates Dogs”, has died at the age of 26 after a hit-and-run...

The LGBT Center Long Beach’s Response To George Floyd Trial

April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021

The LGBTQ Center Long Beach has released a statement in response to the verdict following the George Floyd trial.  On...

Edify TV: Helping Local Cultural, Religious and LGBTQ+ Centers

April 11, 2021

April 11, 2021

Westside cultural, religious and LGBTQ+ centers stand to benefit from a new fund the City of Los Angeles has created...

Long Beach Rainbow Lifeguard Tower Burned Down

March 25, 2021

March 25, 2021

Long Beach’s rainbow lifeguard tower, painted by lifeguards in June in honor of Pride month, was destroyed in a fire...

Candlelit Vigil Held For Rayanna Pardo

March 25, 2021

March 25, 2021

A candlelit vigil was held on March 20th for Rayanna Pardo, a trans woman of color who died three days...

Gaga Confirms She Will Pay Dog Walkers Medical Bills

March 4, 2021

March 4, 2021

Lady Gaga has confirmed that she will pay all of her dog walkers medical bills which amount to almost $100,000. ...

Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker Shot And Her Dogs Stolen

February 25, 2021

February 25, 2021

Ryan Fischer, Lady Gaga’s dog walker, was the victim of a brutal robbery in West Hollywood Wednesday night.  30 year...

L.A. Queer Woman Being Deported From Bali

January 24, 2021

January 24, 2021

Former Los Angeles resident and graphic designer Kristen Antoinette Gray is being deported from Bali over her viral tweets that...

FBI Investigating Blast At Anti-Gay Church

January 23, 2021

January 23, 2021

An El Monte church that had been threatened this month with an arson attack over its condemnation of same-sex marriages...