Massachusetts State Police said in a statement Sunday afternoon the agency learned of the gunman’s comments during a conference call with federal law enforcement officials.
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The lone-wolf rampage killer behind yesterday’s mass murder in Orlando called the Tsarnaev brothers his “homeboys” during one of three phone calls to police, FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Harold H. Shaw said.
State Police said, “Our partner agencies at the Commonwealth Fusion Center and in the Joint Terrorism Task Force thus far have found no connection to MA on the parts of suspected Orlando gunman and his spouse”, State Police said.
MA state police said on Sunday that the gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, called 911 during the shooting and referenced the Boston Marathon bombers.
Boston police officials have offered support staff to law enforcement responding to the Orlando, Florida, nightclub massacre.
At least 50 people were killed and over 50 more were hospitalized in the shooting early Sunday morning at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Procopio said neither the suspect’s nor his wife’s name appeared in any databases of potential terrorist suspects kept by local police agencies. A surgeon at Orlando Regional Medical Center told the Associated Press on Sunday the death toll “was likely to climb”.
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The early Sunday attack marked the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed while police chased the brothers.
