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Pulse patron Eddie Justice texted his mother, Mina: "Mommy I love you. "I was praying to God that I would live to see another day."
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"My first thought was, oh my God, I'm going to die," Alamo said. "You ever seen how Marine guys hold big weapons, shooting from left to right? That's how he was shooting at people," he said. Jon Alamo had been dancing at the Pulse for hours when he wandered into the club's main room just in time to see the gunman. Thirty-nine of the dead were killed at the club, and 11 people died at hospitals, Mayor Buddy Dyer said. The gunman's father recalled that his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault. Mateen, who law enforcement officials said had pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a 911 call around the time of the attack, died in a gun battle with SWAT team members.Īuthorities immediately began investigating whether the assault was an act of terrorism and probing the background of Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, who had worked as a security guard. When the gunfire finally stopped, 50 people were dead and dozens more were critically wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. In such tight quarters, the bullets could hardly miss. Witnesses said he fired relentlessly - 20 rounds, 40, then 50 and more. That's when authorities say Omar Mateen emerged, carrying an AR-15 and spraying the helpless crowd with bullets. After hours of revelry, the party-goers crowding the gay nightclub known as the Pulse took their last sips before the place closed. It had been an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows.