Wheelchair-Bound Arsonist Defaces Pulse Nightclub Memorial In Homophobic Attack

A man in a wheelchair was caught on camera trying to set fire to a section of the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando, Florida in what seems to be a homophobic attack against the shrine, with the nonprofit organization publicizing it on Saturday, Nov. 6, asking for information on how to find the arsonist.

The onePulse Foundation has released footage from Oct. 12 that showed a man in a wheelchair, who was wearing a baseball hat, lighting a fire in part of the memorial wall before rolling away from the area, USA Today reported.

The fire burned three memorial banners, but its overall damage to the wall was minimal, and the fire quickly went out on its own with the help of a passerby in the area, according to the New York Daily News.

Though no one has been arrested for the crime, the Orlando Fire Department is leading the investigation, and they hope to find the perpetrator of the fire soon enough. Anyone who may have information on who the arsonist may be is encouraged to come forward to the relevant authorities.

“Fire investigators are working the case,” Fire Department spokesperson Jenny DeSantis said. “This is an open and active investigation.”

The wall commemorates the 49 people who were killed inside the Pulse Nightclub in 2016 by Omar Mateen, one of the bloodiest mass shootings in recent memory. In response to the killings, the area has been converted to a memorial, with photos, banners, and rainbow lights documenting the dead as well as the community’s response to the attack, WTSP reported.

“The Pulse Memorial is a sanctuary of quiet reflection and love dedicated to honoring the senseless loss of innocent life and remembering the horrible attack that occurred on June 12, 2016,” the onePulse Foundation said about their founding.

The club, which was an LGBT hotspot for many years, has been designated earlier this year as a national memorial by President Joe Biden, with plans to expand the area further with an educational building, a public plaza, and an open-air museum.