INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Orlando Pulse Mass Shooting Leaves 50 Dead, ‘Deadliest Mass Shooting In U.S. History’

By Pam Wright
Published on: 03:20 PST, Jun 12, 2016

A reported 50 people were killed inside Pulse, a popular Orlando LGBT nightclub, early Sunday, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. History and possibly the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

Calling the mass shooting a “domestic terrorism event,” Mina said the massacre was carried out by Omar Mateen of St. Lucie County, Florida.

According to CNN, at least 53 more people were injured, Mina said. Mateen, who has been described as a 29-year-old Islamic radical, was shot and killed, he told reporters.

Investigators are exploring all angles, but have leads that may indicate “the individual has leanings towards (Islamic terrorism), but right now we can’t say definitely,” said Ron Hopper, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Orlando bureau.

Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, claims the mass shooting was “not about religion.” Instead, he said his son became enraged over seeing gay men kissing in public in the weeks proceeding the attack, according to Heavy.com.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, police reported just before 6 a.m. that the shooter inside the club at 1912 S. Orange Ave. was dead. A massive investigation is currently underway, with assistance from the FBI.

Witnesses told The Orlando Sentinel they heard at least 40 shots fired inside the popular gay club and estimated that at least 20 people had been shot. Mina said that his officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect in two shootings. One officer sustained an injury to the head in the exchange and was saved by his helmet. The incident began at about 2 a.m., when the shooter took hundreds of club patrons hostage and the Orlando Fire Department called for its bomb squad and hazardous material team to the scene after 3 a.m.

Following the incident, emergency workers were seen taking victims away from the scene in large trucks; in one case, as reported by The Sentinel, an emergency worker was doing chest compressions on one of the victims. Kenneth Melendez and his friends were at the club when the shooting happened. Four of his friends were shot and were at ORMC, he told The Sentinel.

“It’s just something that you see in the movies but never think would happen to you. At first, when I heard the shots I thought it was part of the music, but then we realized it was really happening. I started running and saw someone bleeding from the arm and I was like wow this is really happening and I kept running.”

Just after the shooting, Pulse Orlando posted the following note to its web page.

“Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running.”

Witnesses inside Pulse Orlando at the time of the shooting say the scene was chaotic.

Javer Antonetti, 53, went out to the club with his brother and said he was near the back of the room when he heard the first shots ring out.

“There were so many, at least 40. I saw two guys and it was constant, like ‘pow, pow, pow.'”

Antonetti said he fled from the club, but his brother who was on crutches, became stuck inside. Fortunately, authorities were able to rescue Antonetti’s brother unharmed.

Christopher Hansen, who was inside Pulse when the shooting began, told USA Today the scene inside the nightclub was utter chaos.

“Bang! Bang! Screaming. And loud noises. The guy next to me was shot… when I turned around to look everyone was falling and dropping and screaming.”

The Orlando Pulse nightclub mass shooting comes a day after singer Christina Grimmie was fatally shot as she signed autographs after performing at the Plaza Live theater in Orlando. Grimmie had gained fame as a YouTube performer and a contestant on The Voice.

[Image via The Associated Press]

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