‘AWFUL AND UNACCEPTABLE’

Orlando LGBTQ+ Bar’s Windows Shattered in Suspected Hate Crime

An unknown suspect approached the Southern Nights complex and methodically fired at the building around 4 a.m., after it had closed.

One of the first LGBTQ+ clubs in Central Florida was targeted in what a local congresswoman said was a “hate crime” early Wednesday, with an unknown assailant approaching the building and shattering several of its windows. In surveillance video posted by the bar’s management, a suspect can be seen approaching the Southern Nights complex—a multi-room venue home to District Dive, Southern Craft, and Southern Nights—between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. The individual methodically fires off a weapon at close range, breaking several window panes. The clip does not make clear what kind of weapon was used. “Awful and unacceptable,” Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D) wrote on Facebook under the footage. On Twitter, she added that the Orlando Police Department had launched an investigation into what she said was a hate crime. The complex opened for regular operations on Wednesday afternoon, its management said.