BREAKING NEWS:
UPDATE 4: Orlando Police Chief John Mina has just updated the media on the situation stating that approximately 50 people were killed and 53 were wounded. The shooter has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Saddiqui Mateen of Fort Pierce.
UPDATE 3: Local police have reported approximately 20 dead inside the club and at least 42 individuals transported for care at local hospitals. One local police officer was injured during the gunfight. The FBI is currently investigating the incident as an act of potential domestic terrorism.
Pulse nightclub shooting: Approximately 20 people dead inside the club.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016
UPDATE 2: Local police is reporting that the shooter inside Pulse nightclub is dead:
Pulse Shooting: The shooter inside the club is dead.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016
UPDATE 1: NPR reports 9 fatalities and 24 shot. (This information is now erroneous, please read update 3)
Video below of search for suspect(s):
Breaking: Search for nightclub shooting suspect or suspects near ORMC @WESH pic.twitter.com/jr8sh28AZc
— bob kealing (@Bob_Kealing) June 12, 2016
Out of Orlando, Florida, authorities are reporting multiple casualties after at least one armed man with what is being described as a “long gun” attacked a popular local nightclub.
The scene of the incident is Pulse Club in Orlando, reportedly a gay club. This week is Pride Week all around the US, during which various events transpire in major cities in support of LGBTQ rights. Pulse is described as such on Google:
“DJs spin popular music at this high-energy gay dance club with regular theme nights & specials.“
Unconfirmed reports state that a bomb might be present and gunman may have potential hostages at the club. Official police statement as follows:
Media: This is a fluid scene and we are working on getting you an update. All info will come from here for now.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016
“People on the dance floor and bar got down on the floor and some of us who were near the bar and back exit managed to go out through the outdoor area and just ran,” Ricardo Almodovar wrote on Pulse’s Facebook page.
Additional reports from local journalist Stewart Moore describe bomb squads on scene at the hospital where victims were supposedly treated after the initial shooting.
#Breaking #Orlando Witness just told me his friend is locked inside a bathroom with a gunshot wound.
— Stewart Moore WESH (@Stewartmoore) June 12, 2016
#Breaking Bomb dogs and crews are walking the grounds near ORMC pic.twitter.com/KyOHH7wpba
— Stewart Moore WESH (@Stewartmoore) June 12, 2016
Update: #Breaking #Orlando source tells me suspect wearing a bomb. Barricaded inside nightclub. More than 20 shot with long gun
— Stewart Moore WESH (@Stewartmoore) June 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/seguifox13/status/741928220463931392
Additional live footage captured a supposed shootout with authorities outside Pulse nightclub:
https://twitter.com/wtfelias/status/741899830235009026
Snapchat video: Multiple gunshots heard at #Pulse nightclub in #Orlando. Details coming: https://t.co/o7XrMw10mx pic.twitter.com/JltzSCShLS
— WESH 2 News (@WESH) June 12, 2016
