Ricardo Negron Almodovar who was there posted: “Shooter opened fire around 2:00am. A controlled explosion was heard on the scene at around 05:08, local time, EDT. Police had previously tweeted that the situation is a “mass casualty” incident, and later confirmed that it was a “terrorist incident”.īomb squad and hazardous material team were on the scene. “This happens every day – not only trans, not only LGBT – we all get killed every day – WHY? Because you’re afraid of what you don’t understand and you reject the unfamiliar.” Hughey Ave.”Īdding: “Any information you have could aid investigators in this case.”ĭespite no information being readily available on a motive of the shooter, a witness at the #Pulse #Orlando shooting said: “Wake up – we are just like you – why kill us?” … “just let us live” The Orlando Police Department called for witnesses to come to speak with them, tweeting: “Anyone who was at Pulse nightclub and was a witness Please come to the Orlando Police HQ, 100 S. The friend of someone in the club at the time of the shooting said that there were “bodies everywhere”.ĭozens of family members and friends were out in the street and at the hospital attempting to find out information on their loved ones. The nightclub posted on its Facebook page as the shooting unfolded: “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running”.Īn eyewitness told WESH that he was in the hospital when they brought people in and that there was “blood everywhere”. “In the range of 20” people were shot and killed in the club, and police said they saved approximately 30 people over the course of the incident. While the police said the man was not from Orlando, they said they were “still trying to positively identify” him. The bomb squad did find a device at the scene, and a controlled detonation took place. One officer’s life was saved by his kevlar helmet during the gun battle, authorities said.
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The police drove a truck through the wall in order to distract the gunman. Multiple officers from local, state and federal agencies responded to the incident at the club, where approximately 320 people were in attendance.Īt approx 05:00 this morning the decision was made to rescue hostages after people phoned police from the toilets in the nightclub. Police also said: “The shooter was organised and well prepared. “We will take them to the ultimate end” said police of any possible accomplices in the shooting. Multiple officers from various agencies responded.
It was confirmed that an officer attended the Pulse club and engaged with a “gun battle” with a shooter who was using an assault rifle and a pistol. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer described the crime as “horrific” at a press conference this morning.Īn Orange County Sherriff described the incident as a “domestic terrorist incident”, which was confirmed by the FBI, a spokesman said: “Domestic or international, it’s terrorism”.Īuthorities urged any witnesses to call ‘1-800-CALL FBI’ with any information. It was later confirmed that the gunman had died. Police detonated a controlled explosion at the scene, which they described as a “distractionary device”. In March of 2018, she was found not guilty.The city, best known for the Disney theme parks is home to gay venue, the Pulse Club, where around 20 people were killed, and 42 were injured in a shooting which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning (12 June).
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The FBI believed she may have known of his plan. Seven months after the attack, Noor Salman, the Omar Mateen’s wife, was charged with obstruction of justice for making contradictory statements to the FBI, and aiding and abetting for allegedly ignoring her husband’s connections to ISIS. He was questioned again in 2014 about a potential connection to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American suicide bomber who had attacked in Syria. Mateen had been interviewed by FBI officers twice in 2013, after making comments to coworkers about his connections to ISIS.
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While Mateen’s family said that he had shown anger towards two gay men kissing the week before the attack, evidence discovered in the years after the attack shows that this may have been a planned act of terrorism and may have had a different target-a Disney complex-before Mateen got spooked by police. At about 5 AM, the police stormed through their exploded hole, then shot and killed Mateen.Īt the time of the shooting, it was unclear if this was an act of terrorism or a hate crime. At the same time, officers secured the building and prepared to enter the bathroom using explosives on the outside wall of the building.