Gunfire erupted at a gay nightclub in Orlando early on Sunday, killing approximately 20 people. 42 people were taken to hospital.
Officers said in a Twitter message that there were “multiple injuries” at the Pulse nightclub.
The dance club urged patrons to “get out” and “keep running” in a post on its Facebook page.
According to the police chief John Mina, an Orlando police officer engaged in a gun battle with the suspect. Around 20 people have been killed and about 42 people were taken to hospital. Mina described the shooting as a “domestic terrorism” incident. Law enforcement are investigating whether the shooter was a “lone wolf,” or if there were more gunmen.
Several patrons had posted on social media that a gunman was holed up inside and holding hostages. One man who said he was inside the club posted that the shooting broke out around 2 a.m. and that he heard about 40 shots being fired.
Javer Antonetti, 53, told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper that he was near the back of the dance club when he heard the gunfire.
“There were so many (shots), at least 40,” he said. “I saw two guys and it was constant, like ‘pow, pow, pow,’.”
Police said they had carried out a “controlled explosion” at the club hours after the shooting broke out, but did not say why that was done. They described the scene as a “fluid situation.”
Video posted online showed a large number of police and emergency vehicles outside the nightclub. Bomb sniffing dogs were also on the scene, CNN reported.
It was the second deadly shooting at an Orlando night spot in as many nights. Late Friday a man thought to be a deranged fan fatally shot Christina Grimmie, a rising singing star and a former contestant on “The Voice,” while she was signing autographs after a concert in the Florida city.
0 Comments