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Revision as of 07:40, 13 June 2016
2016 Orlando nightclub shooting | |
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Part of terrorism in the United States[1][2] | |
![]() Pulse nightclub in 2006 | |
Location | 1912 S. Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
Coordinates | 28°31′10.5″N 81°22′36.5″W / 28.519583°N 81.376806°W |
Date | June 12, 2016 c. 2:00 a.m. – c. 5:00 a.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) |
Attack type | |
Weapons | AR-15-type weapon Semi-automatic pistol |
Deaths | At least 51 (including the perpetrator)[3][4][5][6] |
Injured | 53 |
Perpetrator | Omar Mateen[7] |
The Orlando nightclub shooting (also known as the Orlando nightclub massacre[8][9][10]) was a mass shooting that took place at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States, in the early morning of June 12, 2016. It resulted in at least 51 people, including the gunman, being killed and 53 more being wounded.[7][11] The attack was officially labeled an act of domestic terrorism as well as Islamic terrorism due to the shooter pledging allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[12][13]
The shooter was identified as Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen of Afghan descent. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in United States history,[17] the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. history,[18] and the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. since September 11, 2001.[1][19]
Attack
The attack took place on 12 June, 2016 at the Pulse, a gay bar, dance club and nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Pulse was presenting its weekly "Upscale Latin Saturday", celebrating Latino clientele.[20] At approximately 2:00 a.m. EDT, when about 320 people were inside the club,[21] Mateen began shooting patrons. He was armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a handgun.[21][22][23] An Orlando Police Department (OPD) officer working extra duty at the nightclub engaged Mateen and returned fire.[24] The officer was soon joined by two additional officers who also began engaging the Mateen. Mateen then retreated further into the nightclub and began to take patrons hostage.[21][22][23] About 100 officers from the OPD and the Orange County Sheriff's Office were first dispatched to the scene.[22]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Shooting_at_Pulse_Nightclub.jpg/220px-Shooting_at_Pulse_Nightclub.jpg)
During the attack, people trapped inside the club called and messaged friends and relatives. Initially, many of them thought the gunshots were 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.[1]Nine minutes after the gunfire first started, Pulse posted on its Facebook page, "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running."[25]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Police_kevlar_helmet%2C_Orlando.jpg/220px-Police_kevlar_helmet%2C_Orlando.jpg)
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.[28] A crisis negotiator was present,[29] as Mateen was holed up inside and holding hostages.[4][28] Officers also 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.[30] 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.[22]
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.[22]
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.[22]
Around 5:00 a.m., SWAT officers entered Pulse by driving an armored vehicle through a wall, then used two distraction devices that released loud bangs and bright lights.[31] Mateen was shot and killed in the gunfight, which involved eleven officers.[32] Five minutes later, police said that a bomb squad had set off a controlled explosion.[22][29] At 5:53 a.m., they confirmed Mateen's death.[22]
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.[11][33][34] 39 people were found dead inside the club, with another two people found dead outside.[4][31]
Aftermath
Many people lined up to donate blood at local blood donation centers and bloodmobile locations after OneBlood urged people to donate.[35][36] 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.[37] The GLBT Community Center of Central Florida provided grief counseling for survivors.[38]
Investigation
Officers from several agencies and dozens of emergency vehicles responded to the scene.[29] 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.[39] 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.[40][41]
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is leading the investigation, Mateen called 9-1-1 during the attack and pledged allegiance to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi just before he started shooting. Initial reports stated that he called 9-1-1 about 20 minutes before the attack.[22][42][43] According to officials, during the 9-1-1 call, Mateen also referred to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombers.[44] 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."[21] Mina said Mateen was organized, well prepared, and not from the local area.[27] The FBI set up a hotline for callers with information on the shooting.[38]
A social media account connected to ISIL "gloated about the attack,"[38] while ISIL itself has reportedly claimed responsibility for the shooting.[45][46] These reports were based on the Amaq News Agency, reportedly affiliated with ISIL,[47] 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.[48]
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.[49]
The shooting has been described as an example of soft target terrorism, which targets civilian locations with minimal security.[50]
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.[51] 41 people, including the gunman, were pronounced dead at the scene, while ten people were taken to hospitals and later pronounced dead.[1][31] 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.[28]
The following victims have been confirmed as having been killed:[52]
- Stanley Almodovar III, 23
- Amanda Alvear, 25
- Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
- Martin Benitez Torres, 33
- Darryl Roman Burt II, 29
- Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50
- Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32
- Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22
- Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
- Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30
- Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25
- Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35
- Kimberly Morris, 37
- Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20
- Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36
- Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
- Luis S. Vielma, 22
- Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37
Perpetrator
Omar Mir Seddique Mateen was identified as the gunman after the shooting. He was an American citizen born in New York City to Afghan parents and was a Muslim.[53] At the time of the shooting, he lived about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Orlando.[54][55] 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.[56]
Following the nightclub attack, Mateen's ex-wife told media outlets that during their marriage, Mateen was mentally unstable, and would beat her and keep her completely separated from her family.[42][57] Mateen became a person of interest to the FBI during investigations conducted in 2013 and 2014; 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.[44]
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.[58][59]
Reactions
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Pulse_Vigil.jpg/170px-Pulse_Vigil.jpg)
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".[60] In a speech, the President described the attack as an "act of hate" and "act of terror".[55][61][62][63] The President also issued a proclamation ordering U.S. flags around the country to be flown at half-mast.[64]
Florida Governor Rick Scott released a statement of support for all affected, and noted that the state emergency operations center is monitoring the incident.[65] Additionally, Scott declared a state of emergency for Orange County, Florida,[66][67][68] and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a state of emergency for the city.[69][70]
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.[71][72]
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.[73][74]
Vigils were held across the globe to mourn those who were killed in the shooting.[75][76][77]
See also
- History of violence against LGBT people in the United States
- List of Islamic terrorist attacks
- List of terrorist incidents linked to ISIL
- List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016
References
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- ^ a b "Orlando gunman identified as Omar Mateen". BNO News. June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
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- ^ Tsukayama, Hayley; Goldman, Adam; Holley, Peter; Berman, Mark (June 12, 2016). "Terror in Orlando: 50 killed in shooting rampage at gay club; gunman pledged allegiance to ISIS". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
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called 911 before the shooting and swore allegiance to Islamic State
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- ^ The previous deadliest shooting had been the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.[5][11][14][15][16]
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- ^ Hudak, Stephen (June 12, 2016). "Blood donors needed after mass shooting in Orlando". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ "Urgent Need For Blood After Mass Shooting". OneBlood. June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
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{{cite news}}
: Explicit use of et al. in:|first3=
(help) - ^ a b Perez, Evan; Prokupecz, Shimon; Shoichet, Catherine E. (June 12, 2016). "Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS, official says". CNN. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
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