49 people (50 including the gunman) are dead and 53 are injured after a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning at Pulse, a gay nightclub Florida, according to CNN. Orlando Police Chief John Mina confirmed to news outlets at a press conference that police shot and killed the gunman.
Mina said that the gunman was “organized” and “well-prepared.” The shooter has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Matten of Fort Pierce, Florida.
Authorities say they are considering this an act of “domestic terror” and they are looking into whether this act of violence was a hate crime. It happened at this gay night club in Florida in the midst of LGBT Pride Month, with numerous events going on across the country.
The shooter’s father spoke with NBC News, dismissing the claims that the shooting had something to do with their religion, saying, “this has nothing to do with religion.” However, he added fuel to the speculation that it may have been a hate crime, saying that his son “got angry” when he saw two men kissing in Miami, and he thinks this may have been related to the shooting.
With 50 people dead, the Pulse shooting is the deadliest shooting in American history, surpassing the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 which killed 32.
President Obama spoke on the tragedy in a press conference Sunday afternoon, saying, “We know enough to say this was an act of terror and an act of hate. We’ve reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer. As Americans we are united in outrage.”
He commented on the safe space of the massacre’s location “The place that this occurred was more than just a nightclub, it was also a place of solidarity and empowerment. Attacks on any American regardless of race or sexual orientation is an attack on all of us. May God continue to watch over this country,” he said.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones and everyone else who may have been affected by this senseless tragedy. We will keep you updated with the latest developments in this senseless tragedy.
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