Five years after Pulse: Orlando comes together for a vigil to honor the victims (includes video story)

Family, friends and the community gathered at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (DPAC) in Orlando, Florida this past week to honor the Pulse Nightclub shooting victims.

Marking five years since the tragedy that killed 49 people in 2016, community leaders streamed the remembrance ceremony live on the DPAC lawns. The names of the victims were read out loud as at least 1500 people watched in silence.

Craig Adcock is a friend of Edward Sotomayor Junior, one of the victims of the shooting. Adcock has returned every year since the shooting to the DPAC lawns to honor his friend’s life.

“A flood of emotions, I miss him so much. It was just touching how the community came together to remember all the lives lost and my friend,” Adcock said. “I remember where I was that day when they read the names, and he was the 4th name to come out and I just collapsed on my couch, I couldn’t believe it.”

Allison Ugarte is an FIU student majoring in Broadcast Media with a certificate in Film Studies. She is passionate about writing, reporting and producing local news content.