At 2 a.m., Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in the heart of downtown Orlando, was normally beginning to wind down for closing at 2:30 a.m. But it was enveloped in panic as a gunman opened fire on about three-hundred unsuspecting patrons, fifty of which have been declared dead and another fifty-three have been injured and are receiving medical treatment.
The gunman, who was later found to be Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Florida, went into the club and opened fire on customers using a handgun and an AR-15 assault rifle. For three hours after police arrived on scene, Mateen held hostages inside the club until 5am when he exchanged fire with police and was killed by a SWAT team trying to rescue hostages. We do not yet know what the surviving victims endured as hostages over that three-hour period but we do know that during the time of the shooting some club-goers were able to reach out through text messages to people outside of the club.
Mateen’s Facebook was private, and has since disappeared, but listed his hometown as Islamabad, Pakistan, although other reports show that he was born in New York. His cover photo showed a quote by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.
This attack is now considered the worst mass-shooting in American history. Previously, the 2007 Virgina Tech mass shooting in Blackburg, VA had topped the list as having the most victims at thirty-two dead and seventeen injured. This is not only the worst mass shooting, but the worst hate crime in American history as well. The LGBT community was clearly the target, regardless of the base motivations.
The Pulse nightclub Facebook page was updated around 2 a.m. (at the time of the shootings) to read “everyone get out of pulse and keep running.” A terrifying post to be read by many in the aftermath of a horrific event.
Mateen had no criminal history, although he had been on the FBI’s radar in 2013 and again in 2014, and was a known ISIS sympathizer. The investigations were closed when there was nothing to warrant red flags at the time. Unfortunately, that seems to have changed in the past two years.
Florida Governor Rick Scott delivered a message to any other persons out there that may be considering committing such a crime, in response to the Orlando nightclub shooting — “I can tell you, the state of Florida, local law enforcement, will be swift in their justice.”
Swift, in this case, seems to have been Mateen’s death, rather than his arrest. Although, in the heat of the moment, it hardly seems that it was avoidable when the lives of those still inside the club were at risk.
This afternoon, President Obama addressed the Orlando mass shooting:
“We know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate”
The president highlighted that this was not only a targeted attack on the LGBT community, but an attack on America as a whole.
“This is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, is an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country. No act of hate or terror will ever change who we are or the values that make us Americans.”
The President also made mention of the fact that this tragedy is a reminder of how easy it is in this country to acquire an assault grade weapon and asked if that is the kind of country we want to be…
“In the face of hate and violence we will love one another. We will not give in to fear or turn against each other. Instead we will stand united, as Americans, to protect our people and our nation and to take action against those who threaten us.”
Local law enforcement, government agencies, and Pulse nightclub are all encouraging citizens to donate blood and other items to help the victims of this tragic act. If you’re not local, that’s okay. You can also visit https://www.oneblood.org/donate-now/ to find the location of the nearest blood mobile to make your donation.
We need to show our love and support for those victims, their families, and the law enforcement members who were exposed to this tragedy. We are Americans and we will come together through this horrific event, not fall apart because of it.
