ORLANDO, Fla. – Construction crews began to demolish the Pulse Nightclub building in Orlando on Wednesday morning, nearly 10 years after 49 people were killed, and 53 others were hurt in a mass shooting at the LGBTQ club.
The shooting happened on June 12, 2016. Nearly 300 people were inside the club celebrating Latin Night.
Last week, the iconic Pulse Nightclub sign was removed and secured. It is intended to be part of the Pulse Memorial.
The backstory:
On June 12, 2016, Pulse nightclub in Orlando was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.Â
The nightclub quickly became a symbol of LGBTQ resilience and grief, and the site has functioned as an informal memorial for survivors, families, and the wider community.
Over the years, local authorities and survivors collaborated on a conceptual design for a permanent memorial to honor those lost.
Remembering Orlando’s 49 fallen angelsÂ
These are the names of the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. We will never forget them.Â
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years oldAmanda L. Alvear, 25 years oldOscar A. Aracena Montero, 26 years oldRodolfo Ayala Ayala, 33 years oldAntonio Davon Brown, 29 years oldDarryl Roman Burt II, 29 years oldAngel Candelario-Padro, 28 years oldJuan Chavez Martinez, 25 years oldLuis Daniel Conde, 39 years oldCory James Connell, 21 years oldTevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years oldDeonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years oldSimón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31 years oldLeroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years oldMercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years oldPeter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz, 22 years oldJuan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years oldPaul Terrell Henry, 41 years oldFrank Hernandez, 27 years oldMiguel Angel Honorato, 30 years oldJavier Jorge Reyes, 40 years oldJason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years oldEddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years oldAnthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25 years oldChristopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years oldAlejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years oldBrenda Marquez McCool, 49 years oldGilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25 years oldKimberly Jean Morris, 37 years oldAkyra Monet Murray, 18 years oldLuis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20 years oldGeraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25 years oldEric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years oldJoel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years oldJean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years oldEnrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years oldJean Carlos Nieves RodrÃguez, 27 years oldXavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35 years oldChristopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years oldYilmary RodrÃguez Solivan, 24 years oldEdward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years oldShane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years oldMartin Benitez Torres, 33 years oldJonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24 years oldJuan Pablo Rivera Velázquez, 37 years oldLuis Sergio Vielma, 22 years oldFranky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez, 50 years oldLuis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years oldJerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old Pulse Memorial plans 
The city of Orlando plans to build a roughly $12 million permanent memorial on the site, featuring elements such as an Angel Ellipse, a reflecting pool, Prism Plaza, and private gathering spaces. The city hopes to complete the memorial by fall 2027.