Live coverage: 50 in Orlando nightclub shootings & hostage taking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ2Y9bqd6xk
A news briefing at 7:15 a.m. from Orlando officials confirms that there are as many as 50 dead after a “well organized and prepared” man opened fire at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub. The first shots were fired at 2:02 a.m. when a man with an assault rifle, a handgun and a possible explosive device opened fire. An Orlando police officer on the scene exchanged gunfire with the man. The gunman traveled through the club and took hostages. Police moved in around 5:00 a.m. and shot and killed the gunman. A police officer is among the injured.
The shooting happened at Pulse, which its website describes as the “hottest gay bar in Orlando.” The club is located at 1912 S. Orange Avenue near Kaley Street.
“Everybody was just running out through the back (of the club),” a witness told News 6.
A clubgoer told News 6 that he saw one person holding what he called an assault rifle and firing rounds inside Pulse. He only described the shooter as wearing a white shirt.
A clubgoer said he heard at least 40 shots fired. Another witness said he heard about 100 rounds being fired.
Numerous emergency vehicles are at the scene, and victims are being taken to nearby Orlando Regional Medical Center. Video also showed clubgoers carrying wounded victims to the hospital.
Witnesses said they heard at least 40 shots fired inside the club and estimated that at least 20 people had been shot.
Police reported just before 6 a.m. that the shooter inside the club was dead.
The Orlando Fire Department called for its bomb squad and hazardous material team to the scene after 3 a.m. Police K-9 dogs are searching the area around nearby Orlando Regional Medical Center with an armed deputy in head-to-toe military gear.
Emergency workers were seen taking victims away from the scene in large trucks–in one case, an emergency worker was doing chest compressions on one of the victims.
