Mass Casualties After Shooting in Orlando Gay Club June 12, 2016 At aproximately 4:30 AM Police have confirmed mass casualties after a gunm...
Mass Casualties After Shooting in Orlando Gay Club June 12, 2016 At aproximately 4:30 AM Police have confirmed mass casualties after a gunman opened fire at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub occurred just after 2 a.m. About four hours later police confirmed that a gunman was dead. The circumstances of the shooter's death are not yet clear, and it is unknown whether they acted alone. "We can confirm this is a mass casualty situation," Orlando Police tweeted. 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, The Associated Press reported. NBC affiliate WESH reported that a crisis negotiator was at the scene, and Orlando Police said an explosion heard around 5 a.m. ET was a controlled event. Revelers described scenes of horror from 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 told MSNBC. "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. A man who had been inside the club described a situation of chaos outside as the number of casualties became apparent. "There were just bodies everywhere," Christopher Hansen said. "In the parking lot, they were tagging them - red, yellow - so they knew who to help first and who not help first. Pants down, shirts cut off, they had to find the bullets. Just blood everywhere." Footage from the scene showed dozens of emergency vehicles at the scene and people being treated on the pavements. The injured were reportedly brought to hospital in police pick-ups as well as ambulances. One woman said she had received a text message and phone call from her daughter inside the club, who said she had been shot in the arm. One of the first people to tweet from the scene, local TV reporter Stewart Moore, said earlier the attacker was suspected to have had a bomb, and had taken people hostage. This has not been confirmed by the police. Some witnesses said they heard as many as 40-50 gunshots as the incident unfolded. Police: Florida nightclub mass shooting suspect is dead Hospitals on Lockdown Authorities urged caution as police officers hovered nearby with weapons and dogs. A few miles away, the Orlando Regional Medical Center was placed on lockdown, the h ospital said in a statement. Only essential workers are being allowed access into the building. Arnold Palmer Hospital and Winnie Palmer Hospital are also on lockdown out of an abundance of caution, officials said. #financial_support_div{ display:none; position: absolute; width:300px; height:180px; margin-left: -150px; margin-top: -70px; /*- half of width and height */ top:50%; left:50%; padding: 5px; opacity:0.9; filter:alpha(opacity=90); z-index:1000; background-color:#000; color: white; } .close_box{ background: gray; color:#fff; padding:1px 3px; display:inline; position:absolute; right:1px; margin-right: -13px; margin-top: -13px; border-radius:3px; cursor:pointer; border: 1px #000 solid; } $(document).on("click",".close_box",function(){ $(this).parent().fadeTo(300,0,function(){ $(this).remove(); }); }); Loading the player ... Less
