A gunman carrying a handgun and an assault-style weapon opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday, killing at least 50 people and wounding at least 53 others. It is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
The death toll far exceeds initial estimates. Orlando Police Chief John Mina initially said "around 20" people succumbed to gunshot wounds inside the Pulse Orlando nightclub, but later said police found far more victims once they gained full access to the scene. He said the suspected gunman is also dead.
The suspect has been tentatively identified as Omar Mateen, two law enforcement officials reports. No further information about Mateen was immediately provided. Tampa FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Ronald Hopper declined to identify the suspect, saying authorities are still notifying the next of
kin.
The shooter opened fire at Pulse at approximately 2 a.m. ET in an attack that later developed into a hostage situation. Mina described how the events unfolded:
"At approximately 0202 hours this morning, we had an officer working at Pulse nightclub, who responded to shots fired. Our officer engaged in a gun battle with that suspect. That suspect at some point went back inside the club, where more shots
were fired. This did turn into a hostage situation. Obviously multiple officers from various agencies responded, SWAT team responded. At approximately 0500 hours this morning, the decision was made to rescue hostages that were in there."
A policeman's life was saved by his helmet during the shooting massacre.
0 comments:
Post a Comment