Image capture from NBC News video • A gunman attacked a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida
• 50 club-goers died and 53 others were wounded
• Obama called the massacre the most deadly shooting in American history
Fifty people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded when a man burst into a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida and opened fire around 2 a.m. on Sunday, June 12.
Police said the suspect, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, was armed with a .223 caliber AR type rifle and a handgun when he stormed the Pulse nightclub at Orange Avenue and Kaley Street.
The massacre is now being called as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. President Barack Obama called the shooting an act of terror and an act of hate.
“Today marks the most deadly shooting in American history.” Obama said.
Adam Shell of USA Today said the incident lasted three hours, from the time the shooter gained entry to the club around 2 a.m. until he was shot dead by responding policemen around 5 a.m.
Authorities said there were at last 300 people inside the nightclub at the time of the shooting.
What compelled Omar Mateen to shoot the club-goers at Pulse nightclub is still being investigated. They are trying to determine his motives. Probers said Mateen called 911 shortly before the shooting to pledge allegiance to ISIS. He mentioned the names of two Boston Marathon bombers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, during the call.
Senator Bill Nelson said the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the massacre, but law enforcement officials have not confirmed that information.
The gunman’s father told reporters that his son has become angry after seeing two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thought that may be related to the shooting.
“We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock, like the whole country,” Seddique Mir Mateen said.
Omar Mateen’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusuify, described her former husband as violent and very short-tempered.
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