ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Latest on the shooting at an Orlando nightclub (all times local):
11:45 a.m.
The father of the man named as the shooter in a massacre at a gay Florida nightclub says he’s in shock and that he wasn’t aware of anything his son might have been planning.
Mir Seddique is the father of Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Florida. Seddique told NBC News that his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thinks that may be related to the shooting.
Seddique says: “We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. … We are in shock like the whole country.”
The father also says the incident has nothing to do with religion.
Officials say the shooter was among the 50 killed, and that they’re investigating whether the incident was an act of terrorism.
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11:45 a.m.
Many are still awaiting word on whether their loved ones are among the 50 killed and 53 hospitalized in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Thirty-two-year-old Christopher Leinonen was at the popular Pulse club and is missing. That’s according to his mother, Christine Leinonen. She drove to Orlando at 4 a.m. She hasn’t heard from her son and fears the worst. She was standing in front of an Orlando hospital just down the street from Pulse.
She says: “These are nonsensical killings of our children. They’re killing our babies!”
She said her son’s friend made it out alive by hiding in the bathroom and running out as bullets were flying.
Also, on Sunday morning Facebook added a “Facebook Safety Check” for people to find out whether friends and family have tagged themselves as safe. The social network is using the heading “The Shooting in Orlando, Florida.”
It is Facebook’s way of allowing its users who live near the scene of a major crisis to notify people that they’re OK.
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11:20 a.m.
Families and friends are awaiting word outside an Orlando hospital to learn whether their loved ones are among 50 killed and 53 more hospitalized at a shooting at a gay nightclub.
About 50 people were gathered outside Orlando Regional Medical Center on Sunday, many in tears and anxious.
Fatriana Evans frequents the Pulse nightclub and was outside when shots were fired.
Evans says, “It sounded like fireworks – pop, pop, pop – and then everybody scatters.”
Jackie Smith was inside the club and says two friends next to her were shot. She says she hasn’t gotten updates on their conditions. She came out of the hospital and burst into tears in the arms of friends.
She says: “Some guy walked in and started shooting everybody. He had an automatic rifle, so nobody stood a chance. I just tried to get out of there.”
For the full article and timeline please visit Rutherfordsource.com
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