ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of law enforcement officials from across Central Florida and across the state and country responded to help during and following the Pulse nightclub shooting 10 years ago.
At that time, current Seminole County Undersheriff Ron Hopper was FBI Special Agent in Charge and responded to the Pulse scene early that Sunday morning.
“Going into Sunday morning about 2:30, I get a text message on my bureau cellphone. It said, ‘Hey boss, not sure if this is legit, but hearing there is a hostage situation in Orlando and the guy is claiming to be ISIS,’” Hopper said.
After getting that message, Hopper says he started reaching out to law enforcement contacts in Orlando. One of those calls was to his friend, then Orlando Police Chief John Mina.
“I literally then picked up the phone and called John Mina. What I got when I called that number was something completely different. The best way I could describe it was a long, thick, dark silence, and John just says, ‘Hey Ron, it’s bad. There’s over 25 dead.'”
“My response was, ‘I’m on my way,’” Hopper said.
When Hopper arrived at Pulse, the scene was still active, still unfolding. Victims were being moved to safety as first responders raced to save lives.
“It was organized chaos for lack of a better term. We were still moving through what we call the warm zone. People were being extracted and taken to a casualty collection point,” Hopper said.
As law enforcement worked to resolve the hostage situation inside the club, Hopper says investigators discovered eight people hiding behind a thin wall in a dressing room.
Spectrum News anchor Curtis McCloud asked Hopper, “What would you say was probably one of the most difficult things for you personally?”
Hopper replied, “It was the cell phones that were ringing on the ground inside the club because I knew what it was. It was people’s loved ones, it was family members, significant others trying to find out if their loved ones were OK.”
It’s a sound that still resonates with him now, a decade later. Through the pain and horror, it was the way Central Florida came together in a time of tragedy that he will never forget.
“The way I saw the community come together immediately, that day even, the outpouring of love, the response from volunteers,” Hopper said.
The old Pulse nightclub is now gone; in its place, a memorial is starting to take shape.
“I think this memorial is important,” Hopper said. “It will give them a place to grieve and to remember what happened. When I reflect back on that night, I am confident, and to this day I’m proud of the way everyone responded, given the intelligence we had at the time and the situation we were dealing with.”
Never forgetting the memory of the 49 lives lost and the unwavering spirit of a community continuing to heal.