2016 Orlando nightclub shooting

In the early morning of June 12, 2016, a mass shooting occurred at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. At least 49 people were killed, including the gunman, and 53 others wounded. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history, the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. history, and the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the September 11 attacks of 2001. The attack was labeled by the Orlando chief of police as an act of domestic terrorism; the shooter pledging allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Islamic State claimed responsibility. The shooter was identified as Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen. Attack: The attack occurred on June 12, 2016, at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The club was hosting a weekly Saturday night event that is primarily visited by a Latino clientele. At approximately 2:00 a.m. EDT, when about 320 people were inside the club, Mateen began shooting patrons. He was armed with an AR-15-type rifle and a handgun. An Orlando Police Department (OPD) officer working extra duty at the nightclub engaged Mateen and returned fire. The officer was soon joined by two additional officers who also began engaging Mateen. Mateen then retreated further into the nightclub and began to take patrons hostage. About 100 officers from the OPD and the Orange County Sheriff's Office were first dispatched to the scene. During the attack, people trapped inside the club called and messaged friends and relatives. Initially, some of them thought the gunshots were firecrackers or part of the dance music. 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. Some entertainers hid inside a dressing 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 hid under the glass bar. Many patrons attempted to save the lives of those injured. Nine minutes after the gunfire first started, the club posted on its Facebook page, "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running." Dozens of first responders—including OPD officers, Orange County sheriff's deputies, and FBI agents, as well as paramedics and firefighters from three fire departments—reported to the scene. A crisis negotiator was present, as Mateen was holed up inside and holding hostages.[3][25] Officers initially believed he was 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 situation, officers say they were forced to wait for three hours in order to have a full assessment of the incident, wait for armored vehicles, and ensure they had enough personnel. 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. At 3:58 a.m., the OPD announced to the public that there was a shooting at the club, and that there were multiple injuries. OPD officials advised citizens to stay away from the area. Around 5:00 a.m., SWAT officers entered the building by driving an armored vehicle through a wall, then used two flash-bangs to distract Mateen. Mateen was shot and killed in the gunfight, which involved eleven officers. Five minutes later, police said that a bomb squad had set off a controlled explosion. At 5:53 a.m., they confirmed Mateen's death. Thirty hostages were freed during the police incursion, and one officer received a non-lethal shot to his head and was hospitalized with eye injuries. 39 people were found dead inside the club, with another two people found dead outside. Perpetrator: Omar Mir Seddique Mateen was identified as the gunman after the shooting. He was a U.S. citizen born in New York City to Afghan parents and was a Muslim. At the time of the shooting, he lived about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Orlando. According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records, he had no criminal record in Florida. Mateen lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, but received mail at his parents' home in nearby Port St. Lucie. Mateen became a person of interest to the FBI during investigations conducted in 2013, when he was interviewed twice, and in 2014, when he was interviewed once; he was not ultimately deemed a threat during both cases. The 2013 investigation was opened after Mateen made "inflammatory" comments to coworkers and the 2014 investigation was opened after Mateen was linked to Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, a U.S. radical who traveled to Syria and committed a suicide bombing there. Mateen's father, Seddique Mir Mateen, was quoted as saying that he had seen his son get angry after witnessing a gay couple kiss in front of his family at a festival marketplace in Miami months prior to the attack, which he suggested might be a motivating factor. An ATF official said that at least two firearms were purchased legally by Mateen within the week preceding the shooting, but it is not known if these were used in the attack. Aftermath: Many people lined up to donate blood at local blood donation centers and bloodmobile locations after OneBlood urged people to donate. There was a large presence of blood donors, but many gay and bisexual men were unable to donate blood due to the federal regulation that bars them from doing so if they have had same-sex sexual activities in the past year. The LGBT Community Center of Central Florida provided grief counseling for survivors. Investigation: Orlando Police Chief John Mina reported that a handgun and an AR-15-type rifle, along with additional rounds, were recovered from Mateen's body. Orlando Police Chief John Mina called the shooting an act of "lone wolf" domestic terrorism. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said, "This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly classify as domestic terror incident." When asked about Islamism, FBI agent Ronald Hopper replied, "We do have suggestions that that individual might have leanings towards that particular ideology." Mina said Mateen was organized, well prepared, and not from the local area. The FBI set up a hotline for callers with information on the shooting. A social media account connected to ISIL "gloated about the attack," while ISIL itself has reportedly claimed responsibility for the shooting. These reports were based on the Amaq News Agency, reportedly affiliated with ISIL, reporting the attack "was carried out by an Islamic State fighter", citing an unnamed source. An anonymous U.S. counter-terrorism official said there is "no evidence yet" indicating that ISIL directed the attack or was otherwise directly linked to it. Following the shooting, officers from multiple federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies (including the FBI, ATF, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and Fort Pierce Police Department) converged on Mateen's home in Fort Pierce and another home in Port St. Lucie. A bomb squad was present at Mateen's home to check for explosives. The shooting has been described as an example of soft target terrorism, which targets civilian locations with minimal security. Casualties: At least 51 people, including the gunman, were killed; another 53 people were injured in the shooting, with many requiring surgery in local hospitals. Forty-one people, including the gunman, were pronounced dead at the scene, while ten people were taken to hospitals and later pronounced dead. The nightclub is three blocks from Orlando Regional Medical Center, the primary regional trauma center, and many victims were taken there; two other area hospitals also treated victims. The following victims have been confirmed as having been killed: -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 -Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50 -Deonka D. Drayton, 32 -Mercedez M. Flores, 26 -Juan R. Guerrero, 22 -Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 -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 -Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25 -Xavier E. Serrano Rosado, 35 -Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25 -Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 -Luis S. Vielma, 22 -Luis D. Wilson-Leon, 37 Reactions: The Obama administration released a statement sending its condolences to the victims. President Barack Obama directed the federal government to provide any assistance necessary to "pursue the investigation and support the community". In a speech, the President described the attack as an "act of hate" and "act of terror". The President also issued a proclamation ordering U.S. flags around the country to be flown at half-mast. Florida Governor Rick Scott released a statement of support for all affected, and noted that the state emergency operations center is monitoring the incident. Additionally, Scott declared a state of emergency for Orange County, Florida, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a state of emergency for the city. Facebook activated its "Safety Check" feature following the attack, allowing users to mark themselves as "safe" to notify family and friends, in its first domestic usage for the U.S. Many people on social media and elsewhere, including U.S. presidential candidates, members of Congress, other political figures, foreign leaders, and various celebrities, expressed their shock at the events and extended their condolences to those affected. Pope Francis expressed his "deepest feelings of horror and condemnation" over the massacre. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the US Catholic bishops conference, said: "Our prayers are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this terrible act." The state's largest LGBT rights group Equality Florida started a fundraising page to aid the victims and their families, raising $767,000 in the first nine hours. As of June 13, it has more than $1.2 million. Vigils were held, or are being planned, in various cities and countries around the world to mourn those who were killed in the shooting.