ORLANDO, Fla. – Pulse, the gay nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were slain and 53 others were injured in a mass shooting early Sunday, vowed to rebuild and reopen in a surprise appearance at a vigil in Orlando.
Thousands gathered at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center for the vigil, where Orlando and Orange County mayors Buddy Dyer and Teresa Jacobs, along with Orlando Police Chief John Mina and others, spoke.
"I want you to know we are not leaving. We are here to stay. We will be bigger and better than ever," a Pulse staff member said.
"God bless you. God bless every one of you. Stay strong. Stay united," Jacobs said.
"We will get through this, Orlando, because we are a city of love, and love conquers hate every single time," another speaker said.
Dyer announced that Orlando-based Darden has donated $500,000 to the victims' families. JetBlue also made a donation.
The crowd cheered loudly for the Orlando Police Department and law enforcement.
The names of the victims who died in the mass shooting were read aloud at the vigil.
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