Published
Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 10:46
- The shooting, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, is the deadliest in US history.
49 people have died and dozens more have been injured at LGBT club Pulse in Orlando, Florida, after a gunman opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The shooting is the deadliest in US history. According to the The Guardian, approximately 300 people were at a Latin-themed party when an unidentified shooter entered the building around 2 AM local time on Sunday, June 12th. Reports say that the attacker took a number of people hostage and was armed with an explosive device. Local police later carried out a controlled explosion at the venue and at 5:53 AM local time confirmed that the gunman had been killed.
Pulse, located in downtown Orlando, is one of the main LGBT clubs in the city. Staff posted on the club's official Facebook page saying: "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running." The post has had more than 500 comments, including first-hand accounts from people who managed to escape. "I was there," said Ricardo J. Negron Almodovar. "Shooter opened fire at around 2 AM. People on the dance floor and bar got down on the floor and some of us who were near the bar and back exit managed to go out through the outdoor area and just ran. I am safely home and hoping everyone gets home safely as well."
The incident is the second major shooting in Orlando this weekend. On Friday night, 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie was killed as she was signing autographs after a concert. The gunman, 26-year-old Kevin James Loibl, then shot himself.
Photo credit: Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP