At least two police pickup trucks were seen taking what appeared to be shooting victims to the Orlando Regional Medical Center. “That was the last conversation.”ĭozens of police vehicles swarmed the area around the club. “The next text said: ‘He has us, and he’s in here with us,'” Mina Justice said. He told her he ran into a bathroom with other club patrons to hide. Mina said that noise was caused by a device intended to distract the shooter.Ī woman who was outside the dance club early Sunday was trying to contact her 30-year-old son, Eddie, who texted her when the shooting happened and asked her to call police. Police had said previously on Twitter that there was a “controlled explosion” at the scene of the shooting.
When asked if the gunman had a connection to radical Islamic terrorism, Hopper said authorities had “suggestions that individual has leanings towards that.” The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.įBI agent Ron Hopper said there was no further threat to Orlando or the surrounding area.
A federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation also confirmed the name. Alan Grayson named the shooter, citing law enforcement officials. The suspect was identified as Omar Mateen of Port St. “This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly classify as domestic terror incident,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. In addition to the guns, the shooter also had some sort of “suspicious device,” Mina said.Īuthorities were looking into whether the attack was an act of domestic or international terror, and if the shooter acted alone, according to Danny Banks, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Police have not determined an exact number of casualties, but Mina said “approximately 20” bodies were inside the club. The gunman then went back inside and took hostages, Police Chief John Mina said.Īround 5 a.m., authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages. The suspect exchanged gunfire with an officer working at the gay club known as Pulse Orlando around 2 a.m., when more than 300 people were inside. “There’s blood everywhere,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said. HistoryĪt least 53 other people were hospitalized, the Orlando mayor said. Music Stars React to Orlando Nightclub Massacre, Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S.