ORLANDO, Fla. _ Dozens came out to honor Pulse victims at two remembrance ceremonies on the six-month anniversary of the attacks.
At the Orange County Regional History Center, community leaders gave remarks, there were musical performances and the names of the 49 who died were read.
A loop of images played on a high-definition TV screen, flanked by the names of those who died.
Forty-nine angels, each holding a candle, stood by as "The Voice" contestant Sisaundra Lewis performed the song "Applause."
"Each day I have thought about the injured," Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said. "I thought about the ones that are no longer with us. They will forever be in our hearts."
Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan thanked the Orlando Police Department and Chief John Mina. Police body armor wouldn't have stopped the bullets the shooter used.
"These heroes put their lives on the line to save people," she said.
She also pointed out victims' family members who were in attendance.
"We will celebrate your children forever," she said.
Pulse co-owner Barbara Poma also spoke. She said the past six months have felt like six years.
"My heart feels the depth of sadness like it was yesterday," she said. " ... Where do we go from here? What do we do? We have only one way to go: forward."
Dozens crowded Pulse nightclub early Monday for a candlelight vigil honoring the 49 victims. The vigil started at 2:02 a.m. _ the time the shooting began on June 12.
The crowd at the ceremony held glow sticks aloft as the names of those slain were read one by one.
The Orlando Gay Chorus, dressed in rainbow colors, performed and the history center was lit up.
The angel wings _ people who shielded anti-gay protestors at services shortly after the shooting happened _ led a group down to the club at 1912 N. Orange Ave. for a second event.
At Pulse, a few dozen people filed past the fence surrounding the club and went into the parking lot. Security guards checked their bags and purses for weapons and swiped metal-detection wands up and down their bodies.
Called "Remembering Our Angels," the event feature speakers and performers.
It began with the singing of "Amazing Grace" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Poma also spoke and received a loud applause.
"They had fun," she said, referring to the club's atmosphere before the shooting. "They made friends. They made a family if they didn't have one. And if they had one, it got a little bit bigger"
