The Ledge - Urgent To Any One In Orlando Please

Oh my god .Prayers go out for the victims and their families and the survivors.

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http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orl...gunman-n590446

Orlando Nightclub Massacre
Jun 12 2016, 10:49 am ET
Orlando Nightclub Shooting: Mass Casualties After Gunman Opens Fire in Gay Club

by Matthew Grimson and David Wyllie
[Rep. Alan Grayson: This Might Be a Hate Crime]
Rep. Alan Grayson: This Might Be a Hate Crime 4:02

At least 50 people are dead and more than 50 others are wounded after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning, police said.

Officials said a hostage situation developed after the gunman stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m.

The shooter was identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen.

He was shot dead about three hours later when a SWAT team entered the club, police said.

The law enforcement sources told NBC News that Mateen was born in New York in 1986 and was listed as living at a residence in Port St. Lucie, about 125 miles south of Orlando.

The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism, officials said.

Mir Seddique, Mateen's father told NBC News, "this has nothing to do with religion." Seddique said his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thinks that may be related to the shooting.

"We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren't aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country," Seddique said.

Meanwhile, a man who answered the phone at Mateen's address, Mustafa Abasin, told NBC News: "We are in shock and we are said." He would not say how he knew Mateen, but said he was helping investigators.
Image:
Orlando Police officers direct family members away from a multiple shooting at Pulse nightclub. Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

"We are looking at probably in the range of 20 [dead], but we don't want to give you an exact figure," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said during a news conference. He said 42 people had been hospitalized.

Mina said a uniformed officer working extra duty exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who was armed with an assault-type rifle, a handgun and some type of suspicious device.

"The officer engaged in a gun battle with that suspect. The suspect at some point went back inside the club and more shots were fired. This did turn into a hostage situation," Mina said.
[Clint Van Zandt Discusses Orlando Nightclub Shooting]
Clint Van Zandt Discusses Orlando Nightclub Shooting 4:54

Officials made the decision "to go in on a rescue" just after 5 a.m. Mina said, adding that an officer was injured after being shot in the head.

"It appears his helmet saved his life," he said. "So he has an injury to his eye, but it looks like the bullet did hit his helmet."

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the incident "could definitely be classified as domestic terrorism."

However, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks said authorities were also investigating whether international terror was involved, and if the shooter was a lone wolf.

PHOTOS: Orlando Nightclub Massacre

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators arrived on the scene of the shooting at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott was also on his way to Orlando Sunday morning. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and all those affected by this horrific tragedy. We are a strong and resilient state and we will devote every resource available to assist with the shooting in Orlando," Scott said in a statement.

President Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and requested regular updates, according to a statement from the White House.
[Orlando club shooting witness: 'It's like you're at a gun range']
Orlando club shooting witness: 'It's like you're at a gun range' 2:13

Police had previously reported on Twitter that there was a "controlled explosion" at the scene of the shooting. Mina later clarified that the noise was caused by a device intended to distract the shooter.

Revelers described scenes of horror inside the club. One witness told MSNBC that they had to crawl over bodies to escape.

A post to the club's Facebook page at around 2 a.m. warned "everyone get out of Pulse and keep running." Witness video from outside showed dozens of first responders at the scene, and several victims on the ground.

"It was tragic," club-goer Christopher Hansen said. "I wasn't sure if it was the music, because ... it went with the beat almost until you heard just too many shots."

"It was just like — bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang — and that's when you just know chaos is just, it was in turmoil," he added.
[Expert: Orlando club shooting might be domestic terrorism]
Expert: Orlando club shooting might be domestic terrorism 5:21

Mina Justice was outside the club 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 told The Associated Press. "That was the last conversation."

Witness Anthony Torres posted to Facebook that he and his friends made it out of the club "just barely as we started to hear fire being shot."

"They are just pulling people out in stretchers loading them up," he said, referring to first responders. "Omg please god let everyone make it."
Image: shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando
Emergency services respond to the shooting. "UNIVISION FLORIDA CENTRAL / HAN" / EPA

"People are screaming that people are dead," Torres wrote in another post.

The shooting at the nightclub comes during a series of national celebrations that mark LGBT pride month.

"As soon as we have any information we will update everyone," the club later posted to Facebook. "Please keep everyone in your prayers as we work through this tragic event. Thank you for your thoughts and love."

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Matthew Grimson
David Wyllie
Contributors Laura Saravia, The Associated Press and Pete Williams
Topics U.S. news
First Published Jun 12 2016, 4:10 am ET
Next Story Florida Nightclub Massacre Is Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S. History
News
Orlando Nightclub Massacre
Jun 12 2016, 10:38 am ET
Florida Nightclub Massacre Is Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S. History

by Hasani Gittens and Helen Kwong
[Orlando club shooting witness: 'It's like you're at a gun range']
Orlando club shooting witness: 'It's like you're at a gun range' 2:13

With at least dozens of people reported killed and wounded, the massacre early Sunday morning at an Orlando nightclub now becomes the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States — by nearly double the previous most deadly incident.

Here are America's deadliest mass shootings:
50 killed

At least 50 people are killed and some 50 others are wounded after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early on the morning of Sunday June 12. Officials said a hostage situation developed after the gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m.
Image: At Least 20 Dead In Mass Shooting At Orlando Gay Nightclub
Orlando police officers gather outside of the Pulse Nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016. Gerardo Mora / Getty Images
32 killed

On April 16, 2007, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho shot 32 people to death on the Blacksburg, Virginia, campus before killing himself. The dead included 27 students and five faculty members. Another 17 people were injured. Days after the shooting, the worst school shooting in the nation's history, NBC News received a package from Cho that contained a video of him ranting about rich "brats" and complaining about being bullied.
Image: Students visit a makeshift memorial
Students visit a makeshift memorial set up on the campus of Virginia Tech for the students and faculty that lost their lives in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history on April 18, 2007 in Blacksburg, Va. Evan Vucci / AP File
27 killed

On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 28 people, including himself, his mother, 20 elementary school kids and six school staff and faculty at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Lanza suffered from extreme mental health issues that weren't treated, and was preoccupied with violence, a report from state officials found. He also had easy access to weapons, the report said.
23 killed

On Oct. 16, 1991, A 35-year-old named George Hennard crashed his pickup through Luby's Cafeteria, a packed restaurant in Killeen, Texas. He shot and killed 23 people before shooting and killing himself. Twenty-seven others were wounded. The Texas massacre is the deadliest shooting to not happen at a school in U.S. history. According to a former roommate, Hennard "hated blacks, Hispanics, gays. He said women were snakes."
21 killed

On July 18, 1984, James Huberty, a 41-year-old former security guard who had lost his job, opened fire at a McDonald's in San Ysidro, California, killing 21 employees and customers, including children. A police sniper killed him an hour after he started shooting.

Related: Mass Killings Inspire Copycats, Study Finds
18 killed

On Aug. 1, 1966, former U.S. Marine Charles Joseph Whitman, 25, killed his mother and wife, then went on top of a tower at University of Texas at Austin and killed 16 others. He also wounded at least 30. Whitman had complained of physical and mental health issues before the attack. He was then shot by a police officer. An autopsy after his death revealed he had a brain tumor, but it was not clear whether that had affected his actions.
[Police: Shooters came in with a 'purpose']
Police: Shooters came in with a 'purpose' 1:45
14 killed

On Dec. 2, 2015, 14 people were reported dead and an estimated 14 hurt in an attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, a state-run facility that provides services to people with developmentally disabled people and trains social workers who care for them. The killers remained on the run Wednesday afternoon.
14 killed

On Aug. 20, 1986, postman Patrick Henry Sherill killed 14 postal workers in Edmond, Oklahoma, and then killed himself with a shot to the head. The rampage came a week after two supervisors reprimanded him for lousy performance.
13 killed

On April 20, 1999, students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, killed 12 other students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Two dozen were injured. They then killed themselves in the school's library. In journal entries, the high school seniors had written about a desire to imitate events such as the Oklahoma City bombing.
13 killed

On Nov. 5, 2009, Mad. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, killed 13 people and injured 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas. The massacre prompted the Army to come up with a list of 78 recommendations for Fort Hood to identify the potential for violent behavior among its soldiers. Hasan has been sentenced to death.
13 killed

On April 3, 2009, in Binghamton, New York, 41-year-old Jiverly Wong, an immigrant, killed 13 people and injured four others at an immigrant services center before killing himself. President Obama called the shootings "an act of senseless violence."
13 killed

On Feb. 18, 1983, three robbers at the Wah Mee gambling club in Seattle killed 13 people. Kwan Fai Mak and Benjamin Ng were convicted of murder later that year and are serving life sentences; Wai-Chu Ng was deported to Hong Kong last year.
12 killed

On July 20, 2012, 24-year-old James Holmes sprayed bullets on a midnight screening of the new Batman movie at a theater in Aurora, Colorado. In addition to the 12 killed, 58 were wounded. Defense attorneys tried unsuccessfully to argue that he was insane at the time of the attack; he was sentenced to life in prison in August.
12 killed

On Sept. 16, 2013, a 34-year-old named Aaron Alexis opened fire inside the Washington Navy Yard, killing 12. The former Navy reservist died in a gun battle with police.
Image: Soldiers hold a candle light vigil
Soldiers hold a candle light vigil at Fort Hood, Texas, Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. A day after authorities say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 13 people. LM Otero / AP File
Hasani Gittens
Helen Kwong
Contributors Elizabeth Chuck and Jon Schuppe
Topics U.S. news
First Published Jun 12 2016, 10:38 am ET
Next Story 'Absolute Devastation' Among Orlando's LGBTQ Community
NBC OUT
Orlando Nightclub Massacre
Jun 12 2016, 10:56 am ET
'Absolute Devastation' Among Orlando's LGBTQ Community

by Brooke Sopelsa
[Watch Live: Updates on Orlando Nightclub Shooting]
Watch Live: Updates on Orlando Nightclub Shooting

Orlando's gay community is in "utter shock" and after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub early Sunday morning, a local LGBTQ leader said.

Approximately 50 people are dead and 53 wounded after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Rob Domenico, a board member of The Center Orlando, an LGBTQ advocacy and support center in the city, said "absolute devastation" is being felt across Orlando's LGBTQ community.

"Fear of the unknown is more overwhelming to us than anything, not knowing who of our loved ones is potentially laying on the floor dead," he said.

Related: Mass Casualties After Gunman Opens Fire in Gay Club

The shooter was identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen. His father Mir Seddique told NBC News that his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. He thinks that may be related to the shooting.

"We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren't aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country," Seddique said.