50 people are now reported to have been killed at a mass shooting in a Florida gay club in the early hours of Sunday morning which has left many casualties according to Orlando Police.
UPDATED 17:23
The incident took place at the Pulse Club in Orlando, where it was reported that 50 people have now been confirmed dead and another 53 injured in the shooting. A State of Emergency has now been declared by the city’s mayor.
The shooter has been named as US national Omar Mateen. According to NBC news, they spoke to the father of the suspect who said,
“We are apologising for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country. This had nothing to do with religion.”
He said his son,
“got very angry when he saw two men kissing” months before in Miami.
People were enjoying a Latin-themed night in the club when the attack happened. Pulse Orlando staff posted on Facebook and tweeted, “Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running”.
There followed other reports on social media about the attack.
According to Twitter, Orlando Police have confirmed that,
“The Shooter inside the club is dead” and that “this is a mass casualty situation”.
The police are expecting to brief the media at 7 am local time. There were initially reports through mainstream media that the gunman had taken hostages and that he had a bomb. A controlled explosion has also taken place by law enforcement officers at the site. The police urged the media to avoid reporting inaccuracies at this time. Further official reports in terms of the incidents will follow.
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