News producer Matt Gentili of News 13 said that he received a call from a man claiming to be Mateen about 45 minutes into the shooting. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Advertisement
The gunman who police say killed at least 49 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando was reportedly a regular at the venue.
Mateen, 29, was shot dead by police who stormed the Pulse club with armored cars after a three-hour siege. But that wasn’t the first time he’d been there, The Orlando Sentinel reported.
Several patrons at the Pulse nightclub, the location of the shooting spree, reported seeing Mr. Mateen at the club at least a dozen times.
“Smith said the sometimes-visitor would show up with a buddy and let loose in a way he couldn’t when he was closer to the family home in Port St. Lucie: “(He’d get) really, really drunk…
USA investigators say they have uncovered strong indications the gunman in the deadly Orlando shooting had become radicalized and potentially inspired by foreign terrorist groups. “Whether you need to fly to or from the Orlando area, please write into us at [email protected] and tell us”. Mateen’s family told NBC News on Sunday that he may have been motivated by hate against the LGBT community.
Salman allegedly married Mateen in 2013, and she’s believed to be the mom of Mateen’s 3-year-old son.
When Mateen’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, was asked whether he could be gay, she said, “I don’t know”.
Meanwhile, authorities evacuated residents at Mateen’s apartment complex in Fort Pierce, and a bomb squad was called to investigate.
He described Mateen as “socially awkward” and not liked by many people.
They never met until the night of the shooting when West said he recognized Mateen when he was dropping friends off at the club. “I said, ‘Hey, ‘ and he turned and said, ‘Hey, ‘” West said, according to LAT, adding “I could tell by the eyes”.
“God himself will punish those involved in homosexuality”, Seddique Mateen said in the video. “If I didn’t walk away and I fought, then maybe 50 people would still be alive today”.
No charges are imminent, the official said, because agents are in the early stages of gathering evidence and feel no pressure to rush the investigation.
“I recognized him off Grindr”, Cedeno told MSNBC.
Advertisement
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which provides police services to Disney, said it had no public record of Mateen, while FBI Director James Comey said his agency was working to determine whether Mateen visited the park. Store owner Ed Henson said Mateen passed a full background check and that if he hadn’t bought the guns there, he would’ve gone somewhere else.
