Orlando shooter killed by police in hail of gunfire as he was trying to escape through holeNaples Daily News
On Monday, Orlando Police Chief John Mina and other law enforcement officers offered new details about the shooting,
including the possibility that some victims may have been killed by officers trying to save them.
"I will say this, that's all part of the investigation," Mina said. "But I will say when our SWAT officers, about eight or nine officers, opened fire, the backdrop was a concrete wall and they were being fired upon."
A law enforcement source close to the investigation who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly said a crowd of up to 300 people and the complex layout of the dance club may have resulted in some patrons being struck by gunfire from officers.
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An off-duty Orlando police officer working at the club was investigating an underage drinker outside when he heard gunshots inside, according to the law enforcement source. The off-duty officer ran inside the club and traded gunfire with Mateen, backed up soon by three other Orlando police officers, the source said.
Together, the officers fired at Mateen, who retreated into a bathroom toward the rear of the club.
"Those additional officers made entry while the suspect was shooting," Mina said. "They forced him to stop shooting and retreat to the bathroom where we believe he had several hostages."
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A SWAT team summoned by Orlando Police set up three explosive charges controlled by one device, but failed to topple the exterior wall leading to the bathroom that included 15 to 20 people. So Mina made the call to use the Bearcat.
Officers wore combat-grade body armor and helmets as they rammed a bathroom wall of the Pulse nightclub, creating a small hole — big enough for people to crawl through — so the score of captives could escape.
Along with the freed hostages who were hopping out of the jagged portal to freedom was Mateen who was wielding an AR-15 rifle and semi-automatic Glock handgun he bought days earlier from a Port St. Lucie gun shop. He fired at officers, striking one of them in his helmet before he was shot several times and killed.
"There's a hole in the wall about two feet off the ground and three feet wide. We were able to rescue dozens and dozens of people who came out of that wall," Mina said. "The suspect came out of that hole himself with a handgun and a long gun and engaged in a gun battle with officers where he was ultimately killed."
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