SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Worst Mass Shooting in US History Leaves 50 Dead, Many Wounded at Orlando Gay Club
BREAKING: The massacre at an Orlando nightclub that claimed 50 lives is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history
-- The Associated Press (@AP) June 12, 2016
UPDATED...
Officials announced at a 10:15 AM EDT news conference that the number of dead in this morning's Orlando mass shooting has risen to 50.
Jun 12, 2016
UPDATED...
Officials announced at a 10:15 AM EDT news conference that the number of dead in this morning's Orlando mass shooting has risen to 50.
DEVELOPING...
A shooting rampage at an Orlando, Florida nightclub early Sunday left "approximately 20" people dead, including the gunman, and 42 injured, authorities said.
At a 7 AM EDT news conference, Police Chief John Mina said the shooting began at 2:02 a.m., when three police officers engaged in a gun battle with a suspect outside Orlando Pulse, an LGBTQ club just south of downtown. A hostage situation then took place inside, and a SWAT team was called in, Mina said. Police received updates from patrons trapped in the club, and decided to storm the club at about 5 a.m.
"We exchanged gunfire with the suspect, and he was dead at the scene", Mina said.
Javer Antonetti, 53, told the Orlando Sentinel that he was near the back of the dance club when he heard gunfire. "There were so many (shots), at least 40," he said. "I saw two guys and it was constant, like 'pow, pow, pow,'."
Mina said 42 people were transferred to local hospitals, and one officer was wounded. He estimated the death toll at 20, and said at least 30 people were rescued.
"Tonight our community witnessed a horrific crime... that will have a lasting effect on our community," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
"Do we consider this an act of terrorism? Absolutely, we are investigating this from all parties' perspective as an act of terrorism," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Danny Banks.
"We can confirm this is a mass casualty situation. Support from local/state/federal agencies," Orlando police tweeted about four hours after events began to unfold. Then, a short time later: "Pulse Shooting: The shooter inside the club is dead."
"Do we consider this an act of terrorism? Absolutely, we are investigating this from all parties' perspective as an act of terrorism," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Danny Banks.
Orlando's annual weeklong Gay Days festival ended on June 6 in which up to 150,000 in the LGBTQ community come from over the world for the 25th anniversary of Gay Days. It is one of the largest gay pride events in the world.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
UPDATED...
Officials announced at a 10:15 AM EDT news conference that the number of dead in this morning's Orlando mass shooting has risen to 50.
DEVELOPING...
A shooting rampage at an Orlando, Florida nightclub early Sunday left "approximately 20" people dead, including the gunman, and 42 injured, authorities said.
At a 7 AM EDT news conference, Police Chief John Mina said the shooting began at 2:02 a.m., when three police officers engaged in a gun battle with a suspect outside Orlando Pulse, an LGBTQ club just south of downtown. A hostage situation then took place inside, and a SWAT team was called in, Mina said. Police received updates from patrons trapped in the club, and decided to storm the club at about 5 a.m.
"We exchanged gunfire with the suspect, and he was dead at the scene", Mina said.
Javer Antonetti, 53, told the Orlando Sentinel that he was near the back of the dance club when he heard gunfire. "There were so many (shots), at least 40," he said. "I saw two guys and it was constant, like 'pow, pow, pow,'."
Mina said 42 people were transferred to local hospitals, and one officer was wounded. He estimated the death toll at 20, and said at least 30 people were rescued.
"Tonight our community witnessed a horrific crime... that will have a lasting effect on our community," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
"Do we consider this an act of terrorism? Absolutely, we are investigating this from all parties' perspective as an act of terrorism," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Danny Banks.
"We can confirm this is a mass casualty situation. Support from local/state/federal agencies," Orlando police tweeted about four hours after events began to unfold. Then, a short time later: "Pulse Shooting: The shooter inside the club is dead."
"Do we consider this an act of terrorism? Absolutely, we are investigating this from all parties' perspective as an act of terrorism," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Danny Banks.
Orlando's annual weeklong Gay Days festival ended on June 6 in which up to 150,000 in the LGBTQ community come from over the world for the 25th anniversary of Gay Days. It is one of the largest gay pride events in the world.
UPDATED...
Officials announced at a 10:15 AM EDT news conference that the number of dead in this morning's Orlando mass shooting has risen to 50.
DEVELOPING...
A shooting rampage at an Orlando, Florida nightclub early Sunday left "approximately 20" people dead, including the gunman, and 42 injured, authorities said.
At a 7 AM EDT news conference, Police Chief John Mina said the shooting began at 2:02 a.m., when three police officers engaged in a gun battle with a suspect outside Orlando Pulse, an LGBTQ club just south of downtown. A hostage situation then took place inside, and a SWAT team was called in, Mina said. Police received updates from patrons trapped in the club, and decided to storm the club at about 5 a.m.
"We exchanged gunfire with the suspect, and he was dead at the scene", Mina said.
Javer Antonetti, 53, told the Orlando Sentinel that he was near the back of the dance club when he heard gunfire. "There were so many (shots), at least 40," he said. "I saw two guys and it was constant, like 'pow, pow, pow,'."
Mina said 42 people were transferred to local hospitals, and one officer was wounded. He estimated the death toll at 20, and said at least 30 people were rescued.
"Tonight our community witnessed a horrific crime... that will have a lasting effect on our community," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
"Do we consider this an act of terrorism? Absolutely, we are investigating this from all parties' perspective as an act of terrorism," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Danny Banks.
"We can confirm this is a mass casualty situation. Support from local/state/federal agencies," Orlando police tweeted about four hours after events began to unfold. Then, a short time later: "Pulse Shooting: The shooter inside the club is dead."
"Do we consider this an act of terrorism? Absolutely, we are investigating this from all parties' perspective as an act of terrorism," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Danny Banks.
Orlando's annual weeklong Gay Days festival ended on June 6 in which up to 150,000 in the LGBTQ community come from over the world for the 25th anniversary of Gay Days. It is one of the largest gay pride events in the world.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.