2016 Orlando nightclub shooting

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This article documents a recent mass shooting. Information may change ra
pidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The l
ast updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (June
2016)
Orlando nightclub shooting
Part of terrorism in the United States
1912 S Orange Ave 2.png
Pulse nightclub in 2006
Location
1912 S. Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates
2831'10.5?N 8122'36.5?WCoordinates: 2831'10.5?N 8122'36.5?W
Date
June 12, 2016; 1 day ago
c. 2:15 a.m.
c. 5:00 a.m. EDT (UTC-04:00)
Attack type
Hate crime
Islamic Terrorism[1]
Mass shooting
Domestic terrorism
Weapons
AR-15-type weapon
Semi-automatic pistol
Deaths 50 (including the perpetrator)[2][3][4][5]
Non-fatal injuries
53
Perpetrator
Omar Mateen[6]
Motive
Homophobia
Islamic fundamentalism
On June 12, 2016, a mass shooting occurred at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando,
Florida, United States. At least 50 people were killed, including the gunman, a
nd 53 others wounded.[6][7]
The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history,[4][7]
[8][9][10] the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. histor
y,[11] and the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the September 11 at
tacks of 2001.[12][13][14] The attack was labeled by the Orlando chief of police
as an act of domestic terrorism; the shooter pledging allegiance to Islamic Sta
te of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Islamic State claimed responsibility.[15] The
shooter was identified as Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen.
Contents
1 Attack
1.1 Victims
2 Perpetrator
3 Aftermath
3.1 Investigation
4 Reactions
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Attack

On June 12, 2016, Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was hosting a weekly S
aturday night event that is primarily visited by a Latino clientele.[16]
Mateen was armed with an AR-15-type rifle and a handgun and approached the club.
[17][18][19] An armed security guard, who was a Orlando Police Department (OPD)
officer working extra duty, engaged Mateen, returning fire at 2:02 a.m. EDT.[20]
[21]
Mateen was able to enter the building, however, and began shooting patrons just
as last call was being announced.[17][22][21] About 320 people were in the club
at the time.[17] The officer was soon joined by two additional officers who also
began engaging Mateen. Mateen then retreated further into the nightclub and beg
an to take patrons hostage.[17][18][19] About 100 officers from the OPD and the
Orange County Sheriff's Office were first dispatched to the scene.[18]
Law enforcement and medical assistance arriving at the scene
During the attack, people trapped inside the club called and messaged friends an
d relatives. Initially, some of them thought the gunshots were firecrackers or p
art of the dance music.[23] Many described a scene of panic and confusion caused
by the loud music and darkness. One person hiding in a bathroom covered herself
with the bodies of victims for protection.[12] Some entertainers hid inside a d
ressing room when the shooting started and escaped the building by crawling out
when police removed the air conditioning unit. One of the bartenders said she hi
d under the glass bar. Many patrons attempted to save the lives of those injured
.[12] Nine minutes after the gunfire first started, the club posted on its Faceb
ook page, "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running."[24]
Dozens of first responders including OPD officers, Orange County sheriff's deputie
s, and FBI agents, as well as paramedics and firefighters from three fire depart
ments reported to the scene.[25] A crisis negotiator was present,[26] as Mateen wa
s holed up inside and holding hostages.[3][25] Officers initially believed he wa
s armed with a "device" that posed a threat, but it was later revealed to be an
exit sign or smoke detector that fell down.[27] Due to the nature of the situati
on, officers said that they had to wait for three hours in order to have a full
assessment of the incident, wait for armored vehicles, and ensure they had enoug
h personnel.[18]
This Kevlar police helmet, showing bullet hole(s), is credited with preventing t
he death of an officer during the gunfight.[28][29]
At 2:22 a.m. EDT, Mateen made a 9-1-1 call in which he pledged allegiance to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. In the call, he also referenced Tamerlan
and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombers.[18]
At 3:58 a.m., the OPD announced to the public that there was a shooting at the c
lub, and that there were multiple injuries. OPD officials advised citizens to st
ay away from the area.[18]
Around 5:00 a.m., SWAT officers entered the building by driving an armored vehic
le through a wall, then used two flash-bangs to distract Mateen.[30] Mateen was
shot and killed in the gunfight, which involved eleven officers.[31] Five minute
s later, police said that a bomb squad had set off a controlled explosion.[18][2
6] At 5:53 a.m., they confirmed Mateen's death.[18] Thirty hostages were freed d
uring the police operation, and one officer received a non-lethal shot to his he
ad and was hospitalized with eye injuries.[7][32][33] Once the officers got in,
they found thirty-nine people dead inside the club and another two people dead o
utside.[3][30]
Victims
At least 50 people were killed; another 53 people were injured in the shooting,
with many requiring surgery in local hospitals.[34] Thirty-eight people were pro

nounced dead at the scene, while eleven people were taken to hospitals and later
pronounced dead.[12][30] The nightclub is three blocks from Orlando Regional Me
dical Center, the primary regional trauma center, and many victims were taken th
ere; two other area hospitals also treated victims.[25] The deaths of the follow
ing victims have been confirmed:[35]
Stanley Almodovar III, 23
Amanda Alvear, 25
Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
Martin Benitez Torres, 33
Darryl R. Burt II, 29
Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
Luis Daniel Conde, 39
Cory James Connell, 21
Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50
Deonka D. Drayton, 32
Mercedez M. Flores, 26
Juan R. Guerrero, 22
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19
Eddie J. Justice, 30
Anthony L. Laureanodisla, 25
Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35
Kimberly Morris, 37
Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20
Eric I. Ortiz-Rivera, 36
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25
Xavier E. Serrano Rosado, 35
Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37
Luis S. Vielma, 22
Luis D. Wilson-Leon, 37