The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday released a batch of 911 calls from people reporting the mass shooting at a gay Orlando nightclub in June.
Some calls came from people who fled the June 12 shooting at Pulse nightclub. Others came from family and friends who’d spoken to loved ones trapped in bathrooms as the lone attacker, Omar Mateen, killed 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Mateen, who died in a shootout with police hours later, also wounded 53 people, as the club was crowded with revelers.
“There’s like 18 people, two are dead, they’re in the bathroom,” said one man who dialed 911 after his girlfriend texted him from the club’s restroom, according to an ABC report. “They’re all scared to death, they all think they’re gonna die.”
The dispatcher tried comforting the man after he said his girlfriend stopped sending messages.
“It’s OK, she might be with the deputies or she might be just trying not to let the light come out,” the dispatcher said. “I’m gonna stay on the phone with you.”
Another caller said her brother was in a bathroom with about 20 others, and two people were dead.
ABC News was the first to publish the excerpts on Tuesday. The Huffington Post and several other news outlets have sought to obtain the recordings from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The city had already released some 911 logs, or the notes dispatchers took as they received calls during the tragedy. In those logs, callers described shots fired and expressed concern that the gunman had a bomb.
Those logs included notes from one dispatcher, who spoke to a female caller while the caller was hiding in the bathroom:
“She is in the bathroom.”
“Thinks they’re out of bullets.
“Someone screaming help.”
“My caller is no longer responding. Just an open line with moaning.”
It was already known that in the midst of the chaos, Mateen called 911 himself. He took credit for the shooting and swore allegiance to the Islamic State.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Post a Comment