ORLANDO, Fla. — It has been three years since one of the most deadly mass shootings on American soil took place in Orlando.
49 people were killed by a gunman at Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016. More than 50 others were injured.
Wednesday, hundreds of people gathered Orlando outside Pulse, where a memorial has been growing every year since the tragedy.
Pulse was a place where people felt safe expressing their sexuality, while spending time with friends, dancing, listening to music, and enjoying a night out.
Now, people worldwide make an effort to make sure Pulse is still a place that people associate with love, while supporting the loved ones of the people who were killed, and the survivors.
People continue to lay flowers, write messages and leave pictures of the victims.
Three years later, survivors say they are still healing emotionally and physically.
"One friend that I know has a bullet still near his spine, that they're waiting for to shift. So, it's an ongoing thing, year after year,” said survivor, Orlando Torres.
Church bells rang worldwide 49 times in solidarity with Orlando on Wednesday.
Florida lawmakers are also working on making the site of the former nightclub a national memorial.