![gay bar shooting 2016 gay bar shooting 2016](http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160613050311-parliament-house-orlando-shotting-super-tease.jpg)
“Being raised in a strict Italian family, being gay was frowned upon.
![gay bar shooting 2016 gay bar shooting 2016](https://www.pennlive.com/resizer/wWyE9RpMJ_VLHi-NpYTcvtJriuQ=/600x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-advancelocal.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OTYWSDPN3FGLRE57H7IBPPBYGM.jpg)
Barbara Poma founded the club in 2004 to empower the city’s LGBT community after her brother John passed away. Pulse is more than just a terrible crime scene. Liz Cheney’s last stand: Why she is staking her career on Jan. But Mateen’s connection to Islamic terrorism has not been proven, leading authorities to also investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime against the LGBT community. The federal government and FBI “have suggestions the individual has leanings towards, but right now we can’t say definitely,” says Ron Hopper, assistant special agent of FBI’s Orlando bureau. Mateen was previously trained as a security guard. Sunday morning’s attack surpasses the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 to become the worst mass shooting in US history.Īuthorities have identified the shooter as 29-year-old Omar Saddiqui Mateen from Fort Pierce, about 120 miles southeast of Orlando. A three-hour hostage situation ensued, ending when authorities used an armored vehicle to break down the door of the building and kill the gunman at around 5 am. A gunman opened fire in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub early morning Sunday, killing approximately 50 people and injuring another 53.Ĭlubgoers were enjoying an evening at Pulse, which describes itself as “ the hottest gay bar in Orlando,” when shots started to go off around 2 am.