Mateen was a security guard with a company called G4S. "We are in shock like the whole country." "We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident," Seddique said. Mateen's father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News about his son seeing the men kissing a couple of months ago. "This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly classify as domestic terror incident," Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. Thank you for your thoughts and love."Īuthorities were looking into whether the shooter acted alone, according to Danny Banks, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Please keep everyone in your prayers as we work through this tragic event.
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Just before 6 a.m., the Pulse posted an update on its Facebook: "As soon as we have any information, we will update everyone. The robot was sent in after SWAT team members put explosive charges on a wall and an armored vehicle knocked it down in an effort to rescue hostages. That prevented paramedics from going in until authorities determined the battery was something that fell out of an exit sign or a smoke detector, he said. About 5 a.m., authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the remaining club-goers, Police Chief John Mina said.Īt first, officers mistakenly thought the gunman had strapped explosives to the dead after a bomb robot sent back images of a battery part next to a body, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. In addition to the assault rifle, the shooter also had a handgun and some sort of "suspicious device," the police chief said. Mateen exchanged gunfire with 14 police officers at the club, and took hostages at one point. People were then able to escape through the back of the club. A bouncer knocked down a partition between the club area and an area where only workers were allowed. When he heard shots, Rick dropped to the ground and crawled toward a DJ booth. "I just tried to get out of there."Īt 2:09 a.m., Pulse posted on its Facebook page: "Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running."Ĭlub-goer Rob Rick said the shooting started just as "everybody was drinking their last sip." "He had an automatic rifle, so nobody stood a chance," said Jackie Smith, who saw two friends next to her get shot.
The Orlando shooting started about 2 a.m., with more than 300 people inside the Pulse. In a separate incident, an Indiana man armed with three assault rifles and chemicals used to make explosives was arrested Sunday in Southern California and told police he was headed to a Los Angeles-area gay pride parade. Mateen purchased at least two firearms legally within the last week or so, according to Trevor Velinor of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In 2014, Hopper said, officials found that Mateen had ties to an American suicide bomber, but the agent described the contact as minimal, saying it did not constitute a threat at the time.Īsked if the gunman had a connection to radical Islamic terrorism, Hopper said authorities had "suggestions that individual has leanings towards that." Mateen was not unknown to law enforcement: In 2013, he made inflammatory comments to co-workers and was interviewed twice, according to FBI agent Ronald Hopper, who called the interviews inconclusive.
The extremist group did not officially claim responsibility for the attack, but the IS-run Aamaq news agency cited an unnamed source as saying the attack was carried out by an Islamic State fighter.Įven if the attacker supported IS, it was unclear whether the group planned or knew of the attack beforehand. The official was familiar with the investigation, but was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The couple was together for only four months, and the two had no contact for the last seven or eight years, she said.Ī law enforcement official said the gunman made a 911 call from the club in which he professed allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He wanted to be a police officer and applied to a police academy, but she had no details. She described him as religious but not radical. Mateen was short-tempered and had a history with steroids, she said in remarks televised from Boulder, Colorado.