The Orlando gunman's wife has told federal agents she tried to talk
her husband out of carrying out the attack, NBC News has learned.
Omar Mateen's current wife, Noor, told the FBI
she was with him when he bought ammunition and a holster, several
officials familiar with the case said. She told the FBI that she once
drove him to the gay nightclub, Pulse, because he wanted to scope it
out.
Mateen opened fire at Pulse early Sunday,
leaving 49 dead and 53 injured. Twenty-seven victims remained
hospitalized Tuesday. Six were in critical condition, according to
hospital officials who said the death toll was still at risk of rising
because one or two of those patients were "profoundly ill."
Authorities are considering filing criminal
charges against Noor for failing to tell them what she knew before the
brutal attack, law enforcement officials say, but no decision has been
made.
She is cooperating with investigators, several officials say.
Mateen died in a shootout with police following
the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history — and the most deadly act
of terror in the country since 9/11.
Mateen, 29, was born in New York to Afghan
immigrants described by one family friend as loving, close-knit and
"very respectful" of America. His clan ended up in Florida, where he
attended Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, a two-hour drive
south of Orlando. He graduated with an associate of science degree in
criminal justice technology in 2006, and later got a job as a private
security guard. He was fascinated with law enforcement, people who knew
him said.
He was married twice, and was the father of a 3-year-old boy.
At
least 20 people were killed, and many more were injured, in a mass
shooting at an Orlando nightclub called Pulse early this morning (June
12). Reportedly, the shooter is dead after getting into a gunfight with
local authorities.
Reports the New York Times:
About
20 people were killed and at least 42 people were wounded when a gunman
armed with an assault rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a downtown
Orlando nightclub about 2 a.m., Police Chief John Mina said.
The
police said they had classified the attack as a “terror incident.” The
gunman was not from the Orlando area and was organized and
well-prepared, they said.
The
gunman was found dead inside the Pulse nightclub, one of the largest in
Orlando, about 5 a.m. after a shootout with the police, Chief Mina
said.
The
chief said it was difficult to assess the number of clubgoers who were
killed because, as of 7:15 a.m., many of the bodies had not been
removed.
The
shooting began inside the club, the chief said, and continued outside
when an officer working at Pulse attempted to confront him. The gunman
then went back into the club, resumed shooting and took hostages.
At
5 a.m., Chief Mina said, the police decided to rescue the hostages,
detonating a “controlled explosion” to help clear the club. At least
nine officers were involved in the shooting with the gunman. One of them
was slightly injured, the authorities said.
The police called it a “mass casualty” event. The wounded were taken to three area hospitals.
According to the Mirror, Orlando police decided to storm Pulse, which is a gay nightclub, after the shooter took hostages.
What
is going on in Orlando? On Friday (June 10), up and coming singer
Christina Grimmie was shot and killed by a fan while signing autographs
after a show outside the Plaza Live Theater.
Prayers up to all those affected. #PrayForOrlando
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a
handgun took hostages and opened fire inside a crowded Florida
nightclub, killing approximately 20 people and wounding 42 others before
dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said Sunday.
Police
Chief John Mina also said the shooter had some sort of "suspicious
device." He said the suspect exchanged gunfire with an officer working
at the club around 2 a.m., then went back inside and took hostage
Around
5 a.m., authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages, and the
suspect then died in a gunfight with those officers. Mina said police
have not determined an exact number of casualties, but that
"approximately 20" people were dead inside the club.
Florida
Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks said
during a news conference that the mass shooting is being investigated as
an act of terrorism. He says authorities are looking into whether this
was an act of domestic or international terror, and if the shooter was a
lone wolf.
"This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly
classify as domestic terror incident," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry
Demings.
Police had said previously on Twitter that there was a
"controlled explosion" at the scene of the shooting at Pulse Orlando.
Mina said that noise was caused by a device intended to distract the
shooter.
Mina Justice was outside the club early Sunday trying to
contact her 30-year-old son Eddie, who texted her when the shooting
happened and asked her to call police. He told her he ran into a
bathroom with other club patrons to hide. He then texted her: "He's
coming."
"The next text said: 'He has us, and he's in here with us,'" she said. "That was the last conversation."
Dozens of police vehicles, including a SWAT team, swarmed the
area around the club. At least two police pickup trucks were seen taking
what appeared to be shooting victims to the Orlando Regional Medical
Center.
Pulse Orlando posted on its own Facebook page around 2
a.m.: "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running." Just before 6 a.m.,
the club posted an update: "As soon as we have any information we will
update everyone. Please keep everyone in your prayers as we work through
this tragic event. Thank you for your thoughts and love."
Police said local, state and federal agencies were investigating.
The
incident follows the fatal shooting late Friday of 22-year-old singer
Christina Grimmie, who was killed after her concert in Orlando by a
27-year-old Florida man who later killed himself. Grimmie was a YouTube
sensation and former contestant on "The Voice."
Jon Alamo said he was at the back of one of the club's rooms when a man holding a weapon came into the front of the room.
"I heard 20, 40, 50 shots," Alamo said. "The music stopped."
Club-goer Rob Rick said it happened around, 2 a.m., just before closing time.
"Everybody was drinking their last sip," he said.
He
estimated more than 100 people were still inside when he heard shots,
got on the ground and crawled toward a DJ booth. A bouncer knocked down a
partition between the club area and an area in the back where only
workers are allowed. People inside were able to then escape through the
back of the club.
Christopher Hansen said he was in the VIP lounge
when he started hearing gunshots. He continued to hear shooting even
after he emerged, where police were telling people to back away from the
club. He saw injured people being tended to across the street.
"I
was thinking, are you kidding me? So I just dropped down. I just said
please, please, please, I want to make it out," he said. "And when I
did, I saw people shot. I saw blood. You hope and pray you don't get
shot."