WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On June 12, 2016 29-year-old US citizen Omar Mateen opened fire at Pulse gay nightclub in downtown Orlando, killing 50 people and injuring at least 53, making it the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States. It has surpassed the death toll from the 2007 incident at Virginia Tech, which claimed 32 lives.
He was eventually shot by a SWAT team after briefly taking some hostages.
FBI interviewed Mateen in 2013 & 2014. They turned out to be inconclusive. He wasn't under investigation at time of attack #orlando
— Saeed Ahmed (@saeed_ahmed) June 12, 2016
"He is not a prohibited person. They can legally walk into a gun dealership and acquire and purchase firearms. He did so. And he did so within the last week or so," Trevor Velinor, from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), said at a press briefing in Florida, as quoted by CNN.
Statement from the White House on the Orlando mass shooting: President Obama asked for updates, FBI investigating pic.twitter.com/3K5oNfzUfC
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 12, 2016
The Orlando shooter was on the FBIs watch list for years. You wanna talk about gun control how about the FBI dropping the ball.
— Jüstin Hoenig (@juiceboy19) June 12, 2016
Omar Seddique, who killed 50 men and injured 53 in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, worked for G4S, the world's largest security firm, since 2007 and carried a gun as part of his duties, according to the company's representatives.
