Showing posts with label Orlando. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando. Show all posts

Florida Pulse gay club attacked in Orlando - mass casualties

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A shooting inside a gay nightclub in the Florida city of Orlando has caused mass casualties, police say.
Orlando Police also said in a tweet that the shooter inside the Pulse Club, located in the heart of the city, is now dead.
A bomb squad and hazardous material team were at the scene, and a controlled explosion was carried out.
Relatives have been gathering at local hospitals desperate for news.
Orlando Police tweet: We can confirm this is a mass casualty situation. Support from local/state/federal agencies. We expect to brief media shortly.Image copyrightORLANDO POLICE
Orlando Police tweet: Pulse Shooting: The shooter inside the club is dead.Image copyrightORLANDO POLICE
A man who had been inside the club described a situation of chaos outside as the number of casualties became apparent.
"There were just bodies everywhere," Christopher Hansen said. "In the parking lot, they were tagging them - red, yellow - so they knew who to help first and who not help first. Pants down, shirts cut off, they had to find the bullets. Just blood everywhere."
Footage from the scene showed dozens of emergency vehicles at the scene and people being treated on the pavements.
The injured were reportedly brought to hospital in police pick-ups as well as ambulances.
One woman said she had received a text message and phone call from her daughter inside the club, who said she had been shot in the arm.

One of the first people to tweet from the scene, local TV reporter Stewart Moore, said earlier the attacker was suspected to have had a bomb, and had taken people hostage. This has not been confirmed by the police.
Some witnesses said they heard as many as 40-50 gunshots as the incident unfolded.
Two girls, covered in blood, outside the club in Orlando, Florida, on 12 June 2016Image copyrightEPA
Picture released by Orlando Police of scene outside Pulse nightclubImage copyrightORLANDO POLICE
More than 100 people were reported to have been enjoying a Latin-themed night in the club, which calls itself the hottest gay bar in the city, when the attack began.
Ricardo Negron Almodovar told BBC News that the shooter opened fire at around 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT), as the club night was coming to a close.
"We heard rapid fire go off. In the room I was in, people went down to the floor. I wasn't able to see the shooter or people get hurt.
"At some point, there was a brief pause, and a group of us got up and went to the exit that leads to the patio area outside. We found an exit and after that... I just ran."
Another man, Anthony Torres, said he heard people screaming that others in the nightclub were dead.
Pulse Facebook: Everyone get out of pulse and keep runningImage copyrightFACEBOOK
Image captionThe club posted this message as reports of a shooting were emerging
According to the Mass Shooting Tracker, there were 372 mass shootings - defined as a single incident that kills or injures four or more people - in the US in 2015. Some 475 people were killed and 1,8760 wounded.
The latest incident comes as Orlando is still reeling from the fatal shooting on Friday night of 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie following a concert in the city.
She had been signing autographs when she was shot by 26-year-old Kevin James Loibl, who then killed himself. It is not clear what Loibl's motive was.
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Former Voice contestant Christina Grimmie shot dead in Orlando

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Singer Christina Grimmie, who had competed on the US TV programme The Voice, has died of her wounds after being shot in Florida, police say.
They say a man opened fire on her when she was signing autographs after a concert in Orlando.
The assailant - who was tackled by Ms Grimmie's brother - then shot and killed himself. The 22-year-old singer died in a local hospital.
In 2014, Ms Grimmie finished third during season six of The Voice.
In a tweet, Orlando's police wrote: "With deep regret, we have confirmed Christina Grimmie, @TheRealGrimmie has died from her injuries."
Meanwhile, Ms Grimmie's publicist said: "It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord."
Orlando police's tweetImage copyrightTWITTER
Police say Ms Grimmie was shot about 22:45 local time on Friday (02:45 GMT Saturday) at The Plaza Live in Orlando.
The gunman opened fire as she was signing autographs for fans with Before You Exit band.
The attacker, whose name has not been released, had two guns.
Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Wanda Miglio said Grimmie's brother "immediately tackled the suspect".
"During the struggle, the suspect shot himself. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene," the spokeswoman said.
She described Ms Grimmie's brother as a "hero" for stopping the attacker "from not hurting anyone else".
A police investigation is now under way into how the suspect had managed to enter the venue with the firearms.
News of the attack spread quickly on social media, with many fans voicing their shock and anger.
Ms Grimmie first came to prominence as a teenager for her renditions of hit songs, amassing a huge following on YouTube.
In 2011, she released her debut musical recording Find Me. Her second EP - Side A - followed in February 2016.
In her last tweet on Friday, she wrote:
Christina Grimmie's tweetImage copyrightTWITTER
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