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Mateen also took hostages during the attack.
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Lucie, killing some 50 and wounding 53 others before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers. Wielding an AR-15-type assault rifle and a handgun, Mateen is suspected of opening fire at club-goers in Orlando, about a two-hour drive from Port St. “This had nothing to do with religion,” he added according to NBC news, adding that his son “got very angry when he saw two men kissing in downtown Miami a couple of months ago.” We are in shock like the whole country,” NBC news said, reading out his statement. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. “We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. Speaking to NBC news, Mateen’s father, named as Mir Siddique, said the act was not linked to religion but possibly homophobia. Authorities said he had no criminal history but had been on the FBI’s radar after his name came up in an investigation some years ago. The FBI said there were “suggestions” Mateen had “leanings” toward Islamic terror. Sunday's rampage followed another shooting in Orlando: The fatal slaying Friday night of a pop singer who was killed while signing autographs after a performance at an Orlando concert venue.Ĭhristina Grimmie, a 22-year-old singer who was a finalist on NBC's "The Voice," died hours after she was shot by a gunman who then shot himself, police said.Omar Mateen, 30, from Port Saint Lucie, is the suspected gunman in a mass shooting attack at an Orlando nightclub for the LGBT community, according to police, June 12, 2016. The funds will go directly to victims and their families, according to the page. More than 11,000 people had donated to Equality Florida's GoFundMe page in six hours, raising more than $480,000. "We're proud of our gay community in Orlando," Mary Zika said.īy early Sunday evening, a Florida LGBT advocacy group had raised nearly half a million dollars for the victims.
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In Orlando, Joshua and Mary Zika, who live less than a block from the nightclub, said they were particularly appalled that the shooter had appeared to target a particular group. He also signed a proclamation honoring the victims and ordering that American flags be flown at half-staff until sunset on Thursday. The president said it was too early to know "the precise motivations of the killer," but that the FBI would investigate possible links between the gunman and terrorist groups.Įchoing comments he has made after other mass shootings, Obama said the bloodshed served to highlight how easily people can obtain guns in the United States. Comey and then briefly addressed the nation, saying the entire country stands "with the people of Orlando, who have endured a terrible attack on their city." Lynch, who was scheduled to attend a meeting in Beijing on cybersecurity, said Sunday that she was returning to Washington so she could monitor the investigation.Īt the White House, Obama met with FBI Director James B. The massive law enforcement response included a number of federal agencies. "Fifty victims in one location, one shooting." Police described a hellish scene inside the nightclub, which was strewn with bodies. Honorato said he had called Miguel's phone, but it just kept ringing and went to voicemail. They made it out safely when the shooting started, but they don't know if he made it out," Honorato said. "No one's told us anything," Martinez said as she sat on the sidewalk, her back to the hospital, after waiting for several hours.Īt the Hampton Inn & Suites, Jose Honorato waited with his seven siblings for word about his younger brother Miguel. In the wake of the deadliest shooting in US history, likely presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton react.