The former Pulse nightclub owners have been acquitted of manslaughter charges in connection with a June 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, according to a new report from the Orlando Police Department.
Police began investigating possible criminal charges against Pulse's former owners, Barbara and Rosario Poma, more than a year ago. Fox 35 Reported.
The media report said the investigation also included interviews with 23 people who called on police to charge the Poma couple with manslaughter for allegedly breaking regulations and making unauthorised renovations, which some say may have contributed to the high death toll.
The allegations included that police were denied access to architectural blueprints during the three-hour hostage situation, that unauthorized renovations were made to the nightclub, that Pulse had a history of occupancy violations, that the nightclub was operating under a restaurant and bar license rather than a club, and that there were security lapses.
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Pulse Nightclub owner Barbara Poma (right) and her husband Rosario Poma hold a press conference at Pulse Nightclub on Monday, December 5, 2016. (Getty Images)
“But during their investigation, police found that it is not standard procedure for officers to have immediate access to floor plans of privately owned stores, bars and clubs, and that the lack of access did not limit the police response to the shooting. Police also noted that an officer working at Pulse off-duty provided them with an accurate floor plan at the time.”
The investigation found unauthorized renovations taking place inside and outside the nightclub, but the report found that the club complied with capacity regulations in 82 percent of unannounced inspections conducted by the Orlando Fire Department between 2005 and 2016.
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Barbara Poma, owner of Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, attended a memorial service in front of the club on Saturday, June 10, 2017. (Getty Images)
The FBI previously said that the shooter, Omar Mateen, supported ISIS in the massacre that killed 49 people and injured 53 on June 12, 2016. Mateen was killed after a three-hour standoff with SWAT officers.
Orlando police concluded that none of Pomaz's actions were reckless or without regard for human life, and that he could not have foreseen a terrorist attack at the nightclub. Police said Mateen acted alone and that the Pulse owners would not face criminal charges.
Police have reportedly closed the Pomas case.
The Pulse nightclub where a mass shooting occurred in 2016 that left 49 patrons dead, south of downtown Orlando, Florida, is seen on October 18, 2023. (Getty Images)
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But some survivors dispute the findings.
“Not all of the people who tried to escape, but many of them didn't,” Orlando Torres, a Pulse survivor who played dead in a bathroom until emergency services arrived, told Fox 35. “Even if only one person was prevented, it's a murder of a human being and that's all there is to it. Someone has to be held accountable! Everything has to be by the book so that everyone can escape safely and properly, that's all there is to it.”
