Man arrested after setting Pulse memorial on fire, Orlando fire officials say

Mark Anthony Henson, 64, is being charged with felony criminal mischief

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Fire Department announced the arrest of a man accused of setting the Pulse Nightclub Shooting Memorial on fire.

Mark Anthony Henson, 64, was arrested and faces a felony charge of criminal mischief, fire officials said Tuesday.

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The onePULSE Foundation released an official statement on Henson’s arrest, saying:

Henson was arrested on Tuesday after Pulse survivor Orlando Torres pledged to help find the vandal responsible.

“Someone had mentioned to me that they’ve seen a guy in a wheelchair by the church down the street so then I passed by that area the first time and didn’t spot him,” Torres said.

In a sign of how seriously Torres was taking the issue, he said he followed Henson.

“I went around to take pictures behind the wheelchair to identify it and there was a little white tag on that video from Oct. 12, so I said ‘yes that is the little white tag.’”

Torres said when he called the police he realized Orlando Fire Department was already tailing Henson.

“They had him already on the radar, the officer told me they were just waiting for a warrant to be issued, which was issued [Tuesday],” Torres said.

Video posted on Facebook by the onePULSE Foundation on Saturday shows a man in a wheelchair setting the offering wall on fire, damaging three banners. In the post, the foundation said the incident occurred on Oct. 12.

The site is meant to remember the 49 lives lost in the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in 2016.


About the Author:

Penny De La Cruz started working at WKMG-TV in September 2021. Before joining News 6, Penny worked at KSAT 12 in San Antonio, Texas.

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