Newly released 911 calls illuminate how first responders started creating order out of chaos just minutes after a gunman opened fire at the Pulse nightclub.
One caller told an Orlando Police Department 911 dispatcher he managed to escape the first round of gunfire from the shooter, but his friend was still inside.
"This happened so crazy," said the unidentified caller. "We were all having a great time and all of a sudden we heard gunshots. Back to back. There were more than twelve rounds. I don’t know enough about guns but it was way more than 12 rounds. Just back to back to back."
Another call was from someone who had a sister in the bathroom. He was talking with her via text messaging. For nearly a half hour, he forwarded information to 911 dispatchers from his sister inside the club, including reports of the gunman having a bomb.
Dispatchers were also communicating with people inside to find out what the shooter looked like and where they were.
Recordings from the Orlando Fire Department show dispatchers relaying information regarding where victims were being treated and alerting Orlando Regional Medical Center’s emergency room.
In a call made at 4:13 AM, a dispatcher relayed a message about bombs.
“A mass shooting is going on at the Pulse nightclub and also the shooter advised that there were bombs all around the club in the parking lot,” said the dispatcher.
No bombs were found in a later search.
Multiple news organizations sued the City for the release of all the 911 calls. The next court hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that 911 communications were released Wednesday by the Orlando Fire Department. An earlier version of the story inaccurately attributed Wednesday's release to the Orange County Fire Department.
