50 people dead after gunman opens fire at gay nightclub in Orlando
Fifty people are dead and 53 injured after a gunman opened fire and barricaded himself inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday morning in what is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
Initial reports had indicated that 20 were dead and over 40 injured, but Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer provided updated figures at a press conference on Sunday morning.
The shooter was killed exchanging gunfire with the SWAT team.
One police officer was injured when a bullet struck, but did not penetrate, his Kevlar helmet.
The shooter has been identified by relatives and law enforcement officials as 29-year-old Omar Mateen from Fort Pierce, Florida, multiple media outlets have reported.
Mateen, who had taken people hostage and making demands, gave his name to authorities as he was negotiating with them, CNN reported. A SWAT team entered the nightclub around three hours later, around 5 a.m.
Police confirmed that the incident is being treated as an act of terrorism. Both domestic and international terrorism are being investigated.
Mayor Dyer said that he was issuing a state of emergency in Orlando and requesting Governor Rick Stott declare a state of emergency for Florida.
The shooter "was organized and well-prepared. He is not from the area," a representative for the FBI said, according to ABC.
Mateen entered Pulse nightclub armed with an assault rifle shortly before 2 a.m., witnesses told police. Police confirmed that the shooter also had a handgun, and had a "device" on him.
Pulse markets itself as "Orlando's premier gay nightclub." It was Latin night at the club, according to its Facebook page. About 320 people were inside the nightclub at the time of the shooting, according to Orlando police.
"Everyone get out of pulse and keep running," the nightclub said on its Facebook page at 2:09 a.m.
A dozen different local, state, and federal police agencies were on the scene early Sunday morning, CNN reported.
Orlando Regional Medical Center and two other local hospitals were placed on lockdown shortly after 2 a.m. after receiving "several gunshot victims," according to ABC. "Only essential workers are being allowed access into the building," Orlando Regional Medical Center said in a statement.
Law enforcement officials believe the gunman who opened fire at an Orlando gay club is from Fort Pierce, Florida. Fort Pierce is just under a 2-hour drive from Orlando. Screenshot/Google Maps
"It was just continuous" shooting, a witness told a local NBC affiliate. The shooting "could have lasted a whole song ... people were trying to escape out the back, and when I got out, there was blood everywhere."
A loud explosion heard outside the nightclub just after 5 a.m. was a controlled explosion, Orlando police tweeted.
"People on the dance floor and bar got down on the floor and some of us who were near the bar and back exit managed to go out through the outdoor area and just ran," another witness, Ricardo Negron Almodovar, posted on the club's Facebook page.
shots being fired outside of #PulseOrlando #PulseShooting. (Via Anthony Torres on Facebook, https://t.co/uIlW1M1rl0) pic.twitter.com/pVXOec1eZx— ELIAS (@wtfelias) June 12, 2016
President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident on Sunday morning, according to a press release.
The shooting came a day after 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed by a lone gunman after a concert in Orlando.
