'I just tried to get out of there.'Īuthorities were looking into whether the attack was an act of domestic or international terror, and if the shooter acted alone, according to Danny Banks, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
He had an automatic rifle, so nobody stood a chance,' Smith said. 'Some guy walked in and started shooting everybody. Jackie Smith, who was inside the club, said two friends next to her were shot. The gunman then went back inside and took hostages, Police Chief John Mina said.Īround 5 a.m., authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages. The suspect exchanged gunfire with an officer working at the gay club known as Pulse around 2 a.m., when more than 300 people were inside. Mayor Buddy Dyer said all of the dead were killed with the assault rifle. A surgeon at Orlando Regional Medical Center said the death toll was likely to climb. He said that might be related to the attack.Īt least 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition, officials said. The gunman's father recalled that his son got angry when he recently saw two men kissing in Miami. It was the worst mass shooting in American history.Īuthorities were investigating the attack on the Florida dance hall as an act of terrorism. A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub early Sunday, killing at least 50 people before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said.
