warned "everyone get out of Pulse and keep running." Witness video from outside showed dozens of first responders at the scene and several victims on the ground. One witness told MSNBC that they had to crawl over bodies to escape.Ī post to the club's Facebook page about 2 a.m. Revelers described scenes of horror inside the club. Some bomb-sniffing dogs had alerted earlier, but nothing was found. Several officials told NBC News that, despite earlier concerns, Mateen did not have any explosives with him. Mina later clarified that the noise was caused by a device intended to distract the shooter. Police also had previously reported on Twitter that there was a "controlled explosion" at the scene. Emergency services respond to the shooting Sunday morning at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We are a strong and resilient state and we will devote every resource available to assist with the shooting in Orlando," Scott said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and all those affected by this horrific tragedy. Rick Scott traveled to Orlando on Sunday morning and declared a state of emergency in the city. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the incident "could definitely be classified as domestic terrorism."įlorida Gov. 1/7 #PrayforOrlando- Mayor Buddy Dyer June 12, 2016 We are dealing with something we never imagined. suicide bomber, but the investigation was closed because the FBI determined that "contact was minimal and did not constitute a substantive relationship," Hopper said. The FBI interviewed him again in 2014 when it learned that he might have a connection to a U.S. He was interviewed twice, but the investigation was closed after the FBI wasn't able to confirm that he had ties to radical Islam, Hopper said. Ron Hopper, an assistant FBI special agent in charge of Orlando operations, said the investigation began after Mateen made offensive comments to co-workers. The FBI first looked into Mateen in 2013 because of a statement he had made about radical Islamic propaganda, law enforcement officials told NBC News. Mateen had active security officer and firearm licenses, according to Florida records, and his family said he worked in security. Law enforcement sources told NBC News that Omar Mateen was born in New York in 1986 and was listed as living in Fort Pierce, about 125 miles south of Orlando on Florida's Atlantic coast. We are in shock, like the whole country," Seddique Mir Mateen said. We weren't aware of any action he is taking. "We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. The father said his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thought that might be related to the shooting. Also, several officials say, there's no sign that anyone else was involved in the attack, either in helping Mateen or egging him on. Seddique Mir Mateen, Mateen's father, told NBC News that "this has nothing to do with religion" in spite of reports that his son had declared his allegiance to ISIS.Ī law enforcement official told NBC News there is no indication that Omar Mateen was in touch with terrorists overseas and nothing to indicate this was a directed attack. They took their time in case Mateen's unit might be booby-trapped, but authorities said late Sunday that no devices were found, and residents were allowed back home about midnight. City officials said about 300 people were in the club at the time of the shooting.įBI evidence specialists arrived Sunday night at Mateen's home in a condominium that had been evacuated shortly after dawn, authorities told NBC News. ET, when 11 Orlando police officers and three Orange County sheriff's deputies stormed the nightclub and exchanged fire with Mateen, authorities said.
The shooter, identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen, 29, was killed in a shootout with law enforcement after a three-hour siege. At least 50 people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded when a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning.