Īccording to one of the hostages, Mateen entered a bathroom in the nightclub's northwest side and opened fire on the people hiding there, wounding several. According to a man trapped inside a bathroom with fifteen other patrons, Mateen fired sixteen times into the bathroom, through the closed door, killing at least two and wounding several others.
At least one patron tried to help those who were hit. A bartender said she took cover beneath the glass bar. One person shielded herself by hiding inside a bathroom and covering herself with bodies. Many described a scene of panic and confusion caused by the loud music and darkness. A recently discharged Marine Corps veteran working as a nightclub bouncer immediately recognized the sounds as gunfire, which he described as "high caliber", and jumped over a locked door behind which dozens of people were hidden and paralyzed by fear, then opened a latched door behind them, allowing approximately 70 people to escape. Initially, some of them thought the gunshots were firecrackers or part of the music. ĭuring the shooting, some of the people trapped inside the club sought help by calling or sending text messages to friends and relatives. In less than five minutes, Mateen had fired approximately 200 rounds, pausing only to reload. Two officers joined Gruler in engaging Mateen, who then retreated farther into the nightclub and "began a 'hostage situation'" in one of the bathrooms. When additional officers arrived at the nightclub beginning at 2:04 a.m., Gruler shouted "'s in the patio!" and resumed firing at Mateen a minute later. In response, Mateen withdrew back into the nightclub and continued shooting victims as he traversed through the building, sometimes firing into bodies without checking whether they were already dead. When he witnessed Mateen shooting two patrons attempting to escape through an emergency exit, Gruler fired shots at him. He told a post-incident Police Foundation assessment team that he had immediately recognized that his handgun would be severely disadvantaged against the rifle Mateen was using. Gruler took cover and called in a signal for assistance. Dozens were killed or severely injured inside the crowded nightclub, either directly or by ricochets. At 2:02 a.m., Mateen bypassed Officer Adam Gruler, a uniformed off-duty Orlando Police Department (OPD) officer working extra duty as a security guard, entered the building through its southern entrance, and began shooting patrons. He was wearing a green, blue, and white plaid dress shirt, a white T-shirt underneath, and tan cargo pants. He got out and walked toward the building armed with a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol. At around the same time, Omar Mateen arrived at the club via rental van, parking it in the parking lot of a neighboring car shop. About 320 people were still inside the club, which was serving last call drinks at around 2:00 a.m. On June 11, 2016, Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was hosting "Latin Night", a weekly Saturday night event drawing a primarily Latino crowd. Shooting First shots and hostage situation
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killing of Abu Waheeb in Iraq the previous month "triggered" the shooting. In a 9-1-1 call made shortly after the shooting began, Mateen swore allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and said the U.S. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Perpetrator's wife charged with aiding and abetting the commission of a terrorist act and obstruction of justice
Perpetrator's wife found not guilty on both charges