Orlando SWAT commander who led Pulse nightclub response remembers shooting: 'You'll never forget it'
ORLANDO, Fla. - From survivors to hospital staff and first responders, the Pulse nightclub shooting continues to weigh heavily on the seventh anniversary of the tragedy.
Undersheriff Mark Canty now serves the Orange County Sheriff's Office, but seven years ago he was the SWAT commander for the Orlando Police Department. He led the team inside the Pulse Nightclub after a gunman opened fire on June 12, 2016.
"I led the tactical response, up to and including the breach of the wall, to save the last few survivors inside," Undersheriff Canty said. "You’ll never forget it. It’s something that’s always going to be there. We never want to forget those 49 people who lost their lives."
One of those last survivors is Orlando Torres, who was pretending to be dead on the floor of the popular club that night as the gunman walked past him.
"I feel him touch my pocket my heartbeat starts going. I thought my whole back was going to be full of bullets, but I didn’t twitch or move. I played dead and he left me alone and we waited until the cops saved us," Torres explained.
The mass shooting at Pulse took the lives of 49 people and hurt 53 others. Now, seven years later, those images still weigh heavy in the first responders' minds who tried to save as many people as they could.
Survivor remembers Pulse nightclub massacre
Monday, June 12, marks seven years since a gunman opened fire inside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and killed 49 people. Over the weekend, many people, including survivors, visited the interim Pulse Memorial site to remember the victims who lost their lives that tragic night.
"Nobody cared that night what kind of nightclub Pulse was," Undersheriff Canty said. "What they cared about is that there were innocent people inside that club and, if need be, we would put our lives on the line to save our brothers and sisters."
In the wake of this tragedy, Orlando showed how it came together to support one another – and Undersheriff Canty said he can still feel how united the city is to this day.