ORLANDO, Fla. — Former Pulse nightclub owners Barbara and Rosario Poma will not be charged with involuntary manslaughter following a yearlong investigation by the Orlando Police Department.
This investigation started last year when police received written statements alleging the owners of Pulse committed criminal violations stemming from the shooting.
Those allegations boiled down to five key points:
- The unavailability of building plans for first responders
- Unpermitted renovations and building modifications
- A history of occupancy violations
- Violation of conditional use permits
- Other general failures in security and risk management
According to documents from investigators, they found “the Poma’s could not have reasonably foreseen or anticipated a terrorist incident taking place at Pulse.” Omar Mateen was the gunman who killed nearly 50 people and pledged his allegiance to the terror group ISIS.
Those who filed the complaints believe the Poma’s operated their nightclub illegally and made illegal business decisions which put lives at risk.
Christine Leinonen, whose son Chris was one of the 49 people killed during the attack at Pulse in 2016, said she is outraged by the decision, because she feels the owners should be held responsible.
“My son died on a dance floor. That is a fact," Leinonen said. "Had the business owner complied with codes that were meant to keep the patrons safe, should a panic ensue that this would not have been as high of a number of deaths and injuries as there were.”
The full investigative report from the Orlando Police Department can be found below:
