In a separate incident, an Indiana man armed with three assault rifles and chemicals used to make explosives was arrested Sunday in Southern California and told police he wanted to do harm to a gay pride parade. Mateen purchased at least two firearms legally within the last week or so, according to Trevor Velinor of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In 2014, Hopper said, officials found that Mateen had ties to an American suicide bomber, but the agent described the contact as minimal, saying it did not constitute a threat at the time.Īsked if the gunman had a connection to radical Islamic terrorism, Hopper said authorities had “suggestions that individual has leanings towards that.” Mateen was not unknown to law enforcement: In 2013, he made inflammatory comments to co-workers and was interviewed twice, according to FBI agent Ronald Hopper, who called the interviews inconclusive. “You ever seen how Marine guys hold big weapons, shooting from left to right? That’s how he was shooting at people,” he said. Jon Alamo had been dancing at the Pulse for hours when he wandered into the club’s main room just in time to see the gunman. Thirty-nine of the dead were killed at the club, and 11 people died at hospitals, Mayor Buddy Dyer said. The gunman’s father recalled that his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault. Mateen, who authorities said had pledged allegiance to Daesh in a 911 call shortly before the attack, died in a gun battle with SWAT team members.Īuthorities immediately began investigating whether the assault was an act of terrorism and probing the background of Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, who had worked as a security guard. When the gunfire finally stopped, 50 people were dead and dozens critically wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. In such tight quarters, the bullets could hardly miss. Witnesses said he fired relentlessly - 20 rounds, 40, then 50 and more. That’s when authorities say Omar Mateen emerged, carrying an AR-15 and spraying the helpless crowd with bullets. After hours of revelry, the party-goers crowding the gay nightclub known as the Pulse took their last sips before the place closed. ORLANDO, FLA.-It had been an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows.