The FBI has listed the massacre as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism. via CNN, about the FBI issuing bulletins to gay clubs as a precaution.
history Tribute to Pulse Orlando by TRT, Eastern Bank & Harvard Pilgrimīreaking news from Orlando, Fla. Killer’s wife knew about his desire to attack somewhere the worst mass shooting in U.S. As we mourn the victims of this unspeakable attack, we are also reminded that the work to end hate in all its forms must continue.Regular updates, check back for more info. “This unimaginable atrocity has not only robbed countless people of their loved ones, it has also stolen a sense of safety within the LGBTQ community. GLAAD issued a statement about the shooting later on Sunday: “Our hearts are broken for the victims and families of the horrific tragedy in Orlando,” said GLAAD president & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. Within hours, local media showed pictures of long lines outside of blood donation centers. Local officials also put out an urgent call for blood donations to help the 53 victims. Police urged anyone who was at the club on Saturday or those with information about the shooting to come forward and assist the investigation. The scene outside the three hospitals where the Pulse shooting victims were taken was frenzied, as people crowded around looking for family and friends believed to have been in the nightclub on Saturday night.Īn eye witness interviewed by CBS News said that the club had themed nights and Saturday was “Latino” night. It is an active, ongoing investigation, but officials say that this appears to be an isolated incident. “But right now we can’t say definitively, so we’re still running everything to ground.”Īuthorities said that the shooting is not connected to the murder of Christina Grimmie, a former contestant on “ The Voice,” who was shot Friday night after performing a concert in Orlando. “We do have suggestions that that individual may have leanings toward that particular ideology,” FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Ron Hopper told media outlets.
One Orlando police officer was shot during the exchange of gunfire but was likely saved from death by his helmet, officials said. Police said they were looking into reports that the gunman may have had radical Islamist beliefs. As the shooting began, Pulse posted on its Facebook page, “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running.” Police shot and killed the gunman, who used an assault weapon, a handgun, and an unidentified device. ET on Sunday at Pulse, a gay bar, before escalating into a hostage situation that lasted until around 5 a.m. The shooting in Orlando began at roughly 2 a.m.
ORLANDO NIGHTCLUB GAY BAR SHOOTING SERIES
In November, a coordinated series of attacks in Paris, including slayings at the packed Bataclan nightclub during a performance by Eagles of Death Metal, left 130 people dead, jolting the world as a brazen act of terror. last December left 14 dead and 21 wounded, while the 2013 killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., left 28 people dead and one injured. A mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. The death toll from the Pulse shootings surpasses the previous high of 33 dead in 2007 when a gunman went on a rampage at Virginia Tech college. Mateen was said to have been known to law enforcement officials, but the FBI closed its 20 investigations into his activities when it did not find anything that warranted further investigation.Īccording to NBC News, Mateen had called 911 and pledged allegiance to the leader of ISIS just before the attacks.