Bodies Removed as Nation Mourns Orlando Terror Attack

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The last of the bodies were removed from an Orlando gay nightclub overnight as investigators dug into the background of the gunman, who called 911 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State during the attack that left 49 victims dead. "We will not be defined by the act of a cowardly hater," Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed on Monday, a day after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The killer, who died in a gun battle with a SWAT team early Sunday, was identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American-born Muslim. FBI officials said they had investigated him in 2013 and 2014 on suspicion of terrorist sympathies but could not make a case against him. Mateen opened fire at the Pulse Orlando club with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in such close quarters that the bullets could hardly miss. He was gunned down after police used explosives and a small armored vehicle to punch a hole in a wall and allow dozens of club-goers to escape, police said. "I've always felt so safe here for my family, kids. And now, I don't know," said Marlon Massey, who lives across the street from the club, in the city known to tourists around the globe as the home of Walt Disney World and other theme parks. President Barack Obama called the shooting an "act of terror" and an "act of hate" against a place of "solidarity and empowerment" for gays. Law enforcement authorities said Mateen made a 911 call from the club in which ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Major Incidents Source Type: news