Deadliest mass shooting in US history: Orlando nightclub massacre kills at least 50

MOBILE phone footage of patrons dancing inside the Orlando nightclub seconds before a gunman opened fire has emerged. WARNING: Graphic

Onlookers wait down the street from the scene of a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Picture: Phelan M Ebenhack

RAW mobile phone footage has emerged from inside Pulse nightclub seconds before a gunman opened fire in what has become America’s worst mass shooting.

The footage, taken by a club patron called Amanda, pans across the crowded dancefloor, taking in laughing and smiling faces.

Suddenly the rapid fire of gunshots can be heard and the expression on Amanda’s face changes before the video cuts out.

The footage has been uploaded to YouTube and Liveleak and is currently circulating social media. The fate of Amanda and those pictured around her is not immediately clear.

It comes after shocking audio of scores of bullets being sprayed inside the venue as a police SWAT team goes in with guns blazing.

The audio, purportedly shot from a balcony across the road from the Pulse nightclub, has been uploaded to Facebook by the Tampa Bay Times.

Some listeners claim up to 200 rounds can be heard in the clip, which lasts just a few seconds.

49 people were killed and 53 more were injured after a gunman forced his way into the venue, making it the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

The shooter, who law enforcement sources have identified as 29-year-old Omar Saddiqui Mateen, opened fire at Pulse nightclub with a handgun and an “AR-15” assault rifle about 2am Sunday (4pm Sunday AEST).

SWAT teams stormed the club at 5am, local time, and exchanged gunfire with the heavily armed attacker to rescue the hostages. Police confirmed that Mateen, a US citizen of Afghan descent from Port St Lucie, Florida, was killed in the gunbattle.

Orlando Police have released an email sent from Chief John Mina to the officers involved in the operation via Twitter.

“We have trained again and again for this type of situation. It’s unfortunate that we had to put those skills to use today. But because of that training and your professionalism, we saved dozens of lives this morning,” the email said.

“Even before the first patrol units arrived on the scene, an OPD officer working extra duty at the club engaged the gunman as he opened fire. Our First Responders and SWAT Team faced a hail of gunfire as they rescued the hostages, and we are blessed beyond words that none of them were gravely injured or killed.”

This is the email @ChiefJohnMina just sent to OPD personnel. https://t.co/SRuU8vJYcV pic.twitter.com/taZF1PbWe3

— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016

On Monday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer asked the governor to declare the shooting, which coincided with gay pride month in the US, “a state of emergency”.

Mateen made a 911 call before the attack identifying himself and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, according to US law enforcement officials.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday, saying one of their “soldiers” was able to carry out a “security invasion” at a “crusader gathering”. But investigators are yet to uncover any clear links between Mateen and international terrorist groups.

The death toll was originally estimated at more than 20 people. Hours later, the true scale of the horror was revealed, making the Florida nightclub attack the deadliest mass shooting on American soil.

Before Sunday’s massacre, the worst shooting in US history was the rampage at Virginia Tech in 2007, where 32 people were killed, followed by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, where 26 people lost their lives.

Family members wait for word from police after arriving down the street from a shooting involving multiple fatalities at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Picture: Phelan M Ebenhack

Twenty-nine-year-old Omar Mateen has been named as the Orlando nightclub gunman.

World leaders, authorities and the public have expressed their shock and devastation at the mass shooting. US President Barack Obama made a statement condemning the attack, calling it “an act of terrorism and hate” and sending his “thoughts and prayers” to the families of the victims.

“We know enough to say this was an act of terror and an act of hate,” Obama said. “The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terror. We will go wherever the facts lead us … What is clear is he was a person filled with hatred.”

He ordered that all flags at the White House and other government buildings be lowered to half-mast, calling it “an especially heartbreaking day for our friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender”.

Obama said the Pulse nightclub was “a place of solidarity and empowerment” for the gay community.

“This is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation is an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country,” he said.

FBI agents investigate near the damaged rear wall of the Pulse nightclub, the scene of America’s worst mass shooting. Picture: Joe Raedle

President Barack Obama speaks about the massacre at a Orlando nightclub during a news conference at the White House in Washington. Picture: Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Ronald Hopper, an assistant agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa Division, told reporters Mateen may have had leanings toward Islamic extremism.

“We do have suggestions that the individual may have leanings towards that, that particular ideology,” Agent Hopper said at a news conference. “But right now we can’t say definitively, so we’re still running everything around.”

Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC: “This has nothing to do with religion.”

Seddique said his son became angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a few months ago. He believes that incident may be related to Sunday’s shooting. “We are saying, we are apologising for the whole incident,” he said. “We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country.”

Seddique said Mateen was a husband and father to a three-year-old son who worked in security and had an associate’s degree in criminal justice. He was already known to authorities.

A SWAT member arrives to the scene of a fatal shooting at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando. Picture: Phelan M Ebenhack

Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, thanked law enforcement officials for their efforts and cautioned against any rush to judgment.

“No one could have expected this, no one could have prepared for it, it could have happened anywhere,” a visibly shaken Musri said at a news conference. “It’s like lightning.”

He said the city and Muslim community “are heartbroken”.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reacted to the attack on social media. “Woke up to hear the devastating news from FL. As we wait for more information, my thoughts are with those affected by this horrific act,” she tweeted.

Woke up to hear the devastating news from FL. As we wait for more information, my thoughts are with those affected by this horrific act. -H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 12, 2016

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump tweeted: “Horrific incident in FL. Praying for all the victims & their families. When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart & vigilant?”

Horrific incident in FL. Praying for all the victims & their families. When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart & vigilant?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016

Authorities have started to release the names of the victims who lost their lives during the nightclub shooting. Edward Sotomayor Jr., Stanley Almodovar III, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, and Juan Ramon Guerrero were listed by the City of Orlando on its website, saying next of kin had been notified.

Relatives and friends are gathered outside the hospitals to learn the fate of loved ones as the process of identifying the victims and notifying families continues.

Many of the 53 people who were hospitalised are in a critical condition and a surgeon at Orlando Regional Medical Center said the death toll was likely to climb.

“Tonight our community witnessed a horrific crime … that will have a lasting effect on our community,” Mayor Dyer said during a press conference on Sunday morning.

The mass shooting happened about 6km from where The Voice singer Christina Grimmie, 22, was shot dead on Friday night.

A mother pleads for information on her son in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting. Picture: RTE News