Approximately 50 people were killed inside an Orlando gay nightclub early Sunday morning in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Officials are describing the attack as a possible case of terrorism.
The shooting started around 2 a.m. at the club, known as Pulse, and the gunman has been shot and killed by police. About 53 people were taken to area hospitals, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The gunman was identified as Omar Mateen, a U.S. citizen from Port St. Lucie, Fla., according to CBS.
Orange County sheriff Jerry Demings indicated the event can at least be classified as a “domestic terror incident.” The FBI is probing whether it is also Islamist-inspired terrorism with potential connections overseas.
Mateen allegedly brought a handgun and an AR-15 rifle into the nightclub.
NBC News reported that Mateen’s name was in a watch list that came across a watch list and that he was in touch with some people who the FBI was looking at.
The FBI said in a news conference earlier Sunday that it is looking into whether the gunman had Islamic State leanings, but it isn’t known for sure whether the attack was linked to international terrorism.
The gunman at one point had taken scores of hostages before being killed in a shootout with police.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting. Agent Ron Hopper said they cannot rule this out as an act of domestic terrorism and that the suspect, who is not from Orlando, may have leanings toward extreme Islamic ideologies,” the Sentinel reported.
There do not appear to be related attacks occurring, and authorities described the killer as a “lone wolf.”
The gunman, who has not been identified, was carrying an assault rifle, a handgun and was possibly wearing an explosive device.
A post on Pulse’s Facebook page described the scene as it unfolded. “People on the dance floor and bar got down on the floor and some of us were near the bar and back exit managed to go out through the outdoor area and just ran,” said Ricardo J. Negron Almodovar on Facebook.
Pulse was promoting a Latin themed night. However, its Facebook lit up with an urgent message. “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running.”
