50 Dead, More Injured In Orlando Club Shooting

Orlando Police Chief John Mina address the press Sunday.


Update 9:40 pm: Officials continue to release the names of the victims:
Update 9:29 pm: Press briefings take pause until the morning. Join us on Morning Edition, beginning at 6:00 AM for the latest.
Media: Unless there’s something significant to share, there will be no more briefings tonight on Orange Ave. We will resume briefings in am
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 13, 2016
Update 3:45 pm: Orlando Police have begun releasing the name of the victims of Sunday’s shooting. View online.
Update 3:37 pm: Gov. Rick Scott calls for a national moment of silence at 6pm.
Update 3:37 pm: Victim 407-246-4357
Update 3:39 pm: NPR reports there are still bodies in the Pulse nightclub
Update: 10:54 am: The Associated Press reports the Pulse nightclub shooting “the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.”
Update 10:41 am: Orlando Police Chief John Mina calls the shooting one of the worst mass shootings in US history.
. @ChiefJohnMina One of the worst mass shootings in our nation’s history. pic.twitter.com/OBKbnq5W0O
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016
Update 10:24 am: Fifty dead, 53 injured in early morning club shooting, according to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
Update 10:20 am: The Orlando suspect has been tentative identified as Omar Mateen, two law enforcement sources tell NPR’s Carrie Johnson.
Investigators are calling the shooting a domestic act of terrorism.
The gunman took club patrons hostage between 2:00 am and 5:00am early Sunday morning. Orlando Police say calls from the bathroom of the club help coordinate the rescue effort.
Officers shot and killed the suspect.
. @ChiefJohnMina officers shot & killed the suspect. In gunfire OPD officer shot: Kevlar helmet saved him pic.twitter.com/L51ynmRAfm
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016
Officials say this is a “lone wolf” attack. The suspect has not been identified. Orlando Police Chief John Mina says the gunman was organized, well prepared, and not from this area.
Authorities say its unclear whether Pulse was targeted because it was a gay nightclub. “We don’t know that that had any specific impact on the actions taken this evening, at least not yet,” said Ronald Hopper, FBI Assistant Special Agent In Charge.
Victims of the shooting were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Friends and family of those that may be injured are asked to reach out to ORMC. Facebook pushed a ‘safety check’ alert feature to those in Orlando.
If you believe an immediate family member may be in the hospital, please come to the main entrance of ORMC’s new north tower. ID required.
— Orlando Health (@orlandohealth) June 12, 2016
Blood bank One Blood is calling for donations to treat the many injured.
Please retweet: Just in from @my1blood: Urgent need for O negative, O positive and AB plasma blood donors after mass shooting in #Orlando.
— Andrew O’Brien (@aobrien7) June 12, 2016
Governor Rick Scott is trraveling to the area. In a statement, Scott says he’s allocating resources” to assist with the shooting in Orlando. Our state emergency operations center is also monitoring this tragic incident.”
President Obama has been briefed on the shooting, according to his press secretary, and the President has directed federal officials to offer resources to the investigation.
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