Orlando Nightclub Shooting: Mass Casualties After Gunman Opens Fire in Gay Club

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/orlando-nightclub-shooting-emergency-services-respond-reports-gunman-n590446?cid=sm_fb

At least 50 people are dead and more than 50 others wounded after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning.

The massacre is the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States.

Officials said a hostage situation developed after the gunman stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m.

The shooter was identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen, 29.

He was shot dead about three hours later when a SWAT team entered the club, police said. A handgun and AR-15-type rifle were recovered at the scene, according to police.

The law enforcement sources told NBC News that Mateen was born in New York in 1986 and was listed as living at a residence in Port St. Lucie, about 125 miles south of Orlando.

Mateen had active security officer and firearm licenses, according to Florida records, and his family said he worked in security. Marriage records show he was married in Port St. Lucie in 2009, and a relative said he had a 3-year-old son.

The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism, officials said.

Orlando Police officers direct family members away from a multiple shooting at Pulse nightclub. Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

Mir Seddique, Mateen's father told NBC News, "this has nothing to do with religion." Seddique said his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thinks that may be related to the shooting.

"We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren't aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country," Seddique said.

Meanwhile, a man who answered the phone at Mateen's address, Mustafa Abasin, told NBC News: "We are in shock and we are said." He would not say how he knew Mateen, but said he was helping investigators.

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., whose district includes the area of the massacre, said the attack was "more likely than not ideologically motivated."

"It's no coincidence that the attack took place where it did and where it did," he said. "It might be that we've seen the commission of an awful hate crime."

Grayson said investigators were searching Mateen's home and combing the nightclub. Processing the gruesome scene would "take hours," Grayson said. "There is blood everywhere."

Police said Mateen was a U.S. citizen, but some of his family members are not. They would not say where those family members were from, and while they have not confirmed that Mateen was Muslim, several Muslim groups rebuked the attack.

"We condemn this monstrous attack and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured. The Muslim community joins our fellow Americans in repudiating anyone or any group that would claim to justify or excuse such an appalling act of violence," the Council on American-Islamic Relations Orlando Regional Coordinator Rasha Mubarak said in a statement.

Police originally said around 20 people were dead, but Orlando Police Chief John Mina said once authorities were able to get into the club, many more victims were discovered. Mina called the attack "one of the worst tragedies we've seen."

PHOTOS: Orlando Nightclub Massacre

Mina said a uniformed officer working extra duty exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who was armed with an assault-type rifle, a handgun and some type of suspicious device.

"The officer engaged in a gun battle with that suspect. The suspect at some point went back inside the club and more shots were fired. This did turn into a hostage situation," Mina said.

Officials made the decision "to go in on a rescue" just after 5 a.m. Mina said, adding that an officer was injured after being shot in the head.

"It appears his helmet saved his life," he said. "So he has an injury to his eye, but it looks like the bullet did hit his helmet."

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the incident "could definitely be classified as domestic terrorism."

However, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks said authorities were also investigating whether international terror was involved, and if the shooter was a lone wolf.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators arrived on the scene of the shooting at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott was also on his way to Orlando Sunday morning. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and all those affected by this horrific tragedy. 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.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer on Sunday morning issued a state of emergency in the city.

President Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and requested regular updates, according to a statement from the White House.

Police had previously reported on Twitter that there was a "controlled explosion" at the scene of the shooting. Mina later clarified that the noise was caused by a device intended to distract the shooter.

Revelers described scenes of horror inside the club. One witness told MSNBC that they had to crawl over bodies to escape.

A post to the club's Facebook page at around 2 a.m. 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.

Emergency services respond to the shooting. "UNIVISION FLORIDA CENTRAL / HAN" / EPA

"It was tragic," club-goer Christopher Hansen said. "I wasn't sure if it was the music, because ... it went with the beat almost until you heard just too many shots."

"It was just like — bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang — and that's when you just know chaos is just, it was in turmoil," he added.

Mina Justice was outside the club trying to contact her 30-year-old son Eddie, who texted her when the shooting happened and asked her to call police. He told her he ran into a bathroom with other club patrons to hide. He then texted her: "He's coming."

"The next text said: 'He has us, and he's in here with us,'" she told The Associated Press. "That was the last conversation."

Witness Anthony Torres posted to Facebook that he and his friends made it out of the club "just barely as we started to hear fire being shot."

"They are just pulling people out in stretchers loading them up," he said, referring to first responders. "Omg please god let everyone make it."

"People are screaming that people are dead," Torres wrote in another post.

The shooting at the nightclub comes during a series of national celebrations that mark LGBT pride month.

"As soon as we have any information we will update everyone," the club later posted to Facebook. "Please keep everyone in your prayers as we work through this tragic event. Thank you for your thoughts and love."

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

I personally think regardless whether they confirmed the shooter being U.S. born, it's still an act of terror and most likely a hate crime since it also coincided with pride month.

update: man arrested with Indiana plates, heavily armed, on his way to Los Angeles Pride Parade.
http://www.latimes.com/la-me-ln-gay-pride-la-weapons-20160612-snap-story.html

According to CNN: a source said gunman called 911 and swore allegiance to ISIS.


Side note: I don't think you're weird, Techno,  I'm spiritual, but not religious and I have studied multiple religions, almost minoring in Religious Studies in undergrad. I'm very spiritually open-minded. However feel all religions are too flawed for me to follow any of them solely, yet some are definitely more flawed than others too, I believe.

Side note again, at least two of my friends are now accounted for, but haven't heard from two of them and am trying to not think the worst. I am still trying to heal from the loss of my other friend during the San Bernardino attack.

My prayers are with you and your friends, Hachi.

Thanks for the well wishes, Techno & Penham. I also agree Techno, just seeing my friend's photo on the news is enough to trigger a panic attack for me so I know for certain I haven't come to terms with it yet.

Also, I was able to get ahold of my 3rd friend and I have noticed that over all, all my phone calls and messages to everyone have been getting disrupted today (might be a T-Mobile thing) so I really hope this is the case for my 4th friend. None of my friends know each other either. :/

Hachi, I have T Mobile also, as do my one of my daughters and her husband and all of us have not had good service most of the day, until about 5:00 or so this evening. We attributed it to the rain and flooding in our area, but maybe it is something bigger.

The number of fatalities has been reduced to 49. One should always question a round number like 50 as being inaccurate. Also according to MSNBC news there is no proof of any direction or participation by ISIS in this incident. We have a man who was a racist and angry about gays who saw a couple kissing and plotted alone to attack two gay clubs.

It is election year and this is a sole instance of one crazy shooter who was Muslim killing people because he was mentally unstable and abusive. It has nothing to do with ISIS.

Although they claim credit for the incident, this happens when any lone wolf who expresses a tie with them attacks anyone. There was no Al Queda that did 9-11, but Usama bin Laden's very small group took credit where it is unlikely they were even involved. ISIS is very media conscious. Whereas the Paris bombing was clearly a plot, this one likely was not.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/orlando-nightclub-shooting-emergency-services-respond-reports-gunman-n590446

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.

A 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. Also, several officials say, there's no sign that anyone else was involved in the attack, either in helping Mateen or egging him on.

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.

comment: As usual the media is going crazy with this instance of one lone shooter not receiving information from any organization no matter what he professed or how crazy he was. There was no plot or conspiracy and he is a man who went out and bought a Glock handgun. Omar Mateen was armed with an AR-15-type assault rifle, which has become the signature weapon of mass killers in the US. Known as "America's gun," it is owned by around 3.7 million American households, making it the country's most popular rifle.

This is not a signal that all of the sleeping moles in the U.S. that are being tracked by the F.B.I. (there are hundreds and they are in every state in the U.S.) are ready to launch a mass attack.

The news had been a little boring lately with Trump and Clinton - the zero desirable candidates for U.S. president and this provides fodder for the issue of terrorism versus the economy and other issues. Each night hundreds of veterans and homeless die - women and children are starving to death. It is sad to see anyone killed and as the gay communities become more and more visible and more and more demanding of more power and rights, this type of thing will become more prevalent.

This is not to condone it. Yet as the issues of transgender people demanding special attention and even bathrooms reach the sanity level in Texas, there will be more of this happening.

So we did not have an accurate number of fatalities nor does the F.B.I. have any proof that there is any link from Isis in planning or executing this. Whatever Mateen claimed - there is a selfie of him with a NYPD patch on - he was a nut case and there will be more of them as our nation continues to deteriorate morally and economically.

Medclinician