The former Pulse nightclub owners were cleared of involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the June 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, according to a new report by the Orlando Police Department.
Police began an investigation into potential criminal charges against Barbara and Rosario Poma, the previous owners of Pulse, more than a year ago, Fox 35 reported.
The probe included interviews with 23 people who urged police to charge the Pomas with manslaughter over allegations of code violations and unpermitted renovations that some people claimed may have been a factor in the high death toll, the outlet reported.
The allegations included that police did not have access to the building plans during the three-hour hostage situation, that unpermitted renovations were made to the nightclub, that Pulse had a history of occupancy violations, that the nightclub operated with a permit designated for a restaurant and bar instead of a club and that there were security failures.
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Barbara Poma, right, the owner of the Pulse nightclub, and her husband, Rosario Poma, conduct a news conference on Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, at the Pulse nightclub. (Getty Images)
But police found in their investigation that it is not standard procedure for officers to have immediate access to floor plans for private businesses, bars and clubs and that not having this access did not restrict the law enforcement response to the shooting. Police also noted that an officer who had worked off-duty at Pulse provided an accurate floor plan at the time.
The investigation confirmed that unpermitted renovations were made inside and outside the nightclub. But, the report said, the nightclub complied with occupancy regulations in 82% of unannounced inspections conducted by the Orlando Fire Department between 2005 and 2016.
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Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma tends to the memorial in front of her club Saturday, June 10, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. (Getty Images)
The FBI previously said that the gunman who carried out the mass shooting, Omar Mateen, did so in support of ISIS, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others on June 12, 2016. Mateen was killed after a three-hour standoff with SWAT team members.
Orlando Police found that none of the actions taken by the Pomas were done with reckless disregard for human life and that they could not have anticipated a terrorist attack at the nightclub. Police said that Mateen acted alone and that the Pulse owners have been cleared of any potential criminal liability.
Police have closed the Pomas’ case, according to the report.
Pulse nightclub, the site of the 2016 mass shooting that killed 49 patrons south of downtown Orlando, Florida, seen on Oct. 18, 2023. (Getty Images)
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But some survivors are voicing their disagreement with the result of the investigation.
“People trying to escape couldn’t escape — not all, but many of those,” Orlando Torres, a Pulse survivor who played dead in the bathroom until first responders arrived, told Fox 35. “Even if it was just one that was hindered, it’s still murder by a human being, period. Somebody needs to be held liable! Everything needs to be up to code, so everybody can escape safely and properly. Simple as that.”