ORLANDO, Fla. – Nearly five years ago, two Orange County deputies and brothers responded to the Pulse Nightclub shooting without knowing the other would be there.
Orlando police officers were the first on scene that Sunday on June 12, 2016, just after 2 a.m. when a lone gunman opened fire on club goers dancing on Latin night at the gay nightclub along South Orange Avenue.
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Lieutenant Menachem Green and Corporal Yehuda Green heard the call for assistance from the department, according to a video released by the sheriff’s office. Menachem Green said he did not realize what he was responding to and said knowing his brother was at the nightclub with him “was very surreal.”
Yehuda Green heard the call for assistance and notified his supervisor that he would head there because “it seems to be getting worse.” When he arrived, “in the mayhem, in the chaos,” Yehuda Green said he saw his brother.
The two brothers entered the club together in search of the “bad guy” and when law enforcement learned of the threat of possible explosives in and around the building, Menachem Green said his brother suggested the two separate.
“My younger brother was my big brother that day,” he said in the video.
The two made a pact to separate that way they would not both die in the event explosives did go off.
“Our parents shouldn’t have to bury two sons that night, so I made the decision to go the other way,” Yehuda Green said.
Law enforcement officers, including police and deputies, fired 172 shots during their final engagement with the Pulse gunman, killing him.
“The City of Orlando is still beautiful and we got through that day and I think we’ll get through any other days that come ahead,” Yehuda Green said.
Saturday marks five years since the deadly shooting. An exhibit is open to honor and remember the lives lost and the community response that followed with free admission being offered through the weekend.
Several events are also planned this week to remember the victims and survivors of the deadly shooting. For more, click here.