“Blood is here, blood is there. I played dead for about five minutes, he was shooting. I could hear him in another room, I could hear people screaming.” Marcus Gooden was out with friends at the popular gay club in Orlando on June 12, 2016 (WFTV) It was supposed to be an evening of dancing and enjoying time with friends.But that night and early morning, hundreds of people like Marcus spent their time in Pulse as targets in one of the worst mass shooting in US history. Pulse, which was an LGBT nightclub in the heart of Orlando, was built by Barbara Poma in remembrance of her brother who passed away from AIDS. The name Pulse was chosen to represent his beating heart. Sadly, a place of safety and love turned out to be the complete opposite
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At 2:02 AM, Mateen walked in with an assault style gun, an AR-15. The first group of people he shot were located in the bar and on the dance floor. For 33 minutes, he continued shooting between the two areas and killing those trying to escape the building. A standoff lasted for nearly an hour while he was killing that first group. Then he moved on to the second group of victims. Hostages were the next focus and group, because Mateen had dozens trapped in the bathrooms. For hours, he communicated with police negotiators and even pledged allegiance to ISIS. But communicating did nothing, because he still shot any person he saw. Majority of the victims were killed in the bathrooms, because they were trapped and couldn’t escape. Simply, there was no way out. Finally, eight clubgoers escaped at 4:21 AM, when police removed an air conditioning unit from the side of the building. Armoured vehicles and SWAT teams broke through the restroom walls about 5 AM. The few that were still alive and trapped in the restrooms fled out of the broken wall. Mateen had the same idea, and tried to exit the building too. A policeman saw him and shot him, and on scene he died of his six bullet wounds …show more content…
The FBI could have furtherly investigated Mateen when he popped up on their radar. But that doesn’t guarantee that Mateen wouldn’t have done what he did in June. Also, if he had been investigated by the FBI multiple times, then most though he shouldn’t even be able to own a gun. Yet he still legally bought them. The bouncer also could’ve searched him before he entered with the gun. But yet again if he had the gun already out, security would have done little because they would be full of fear. If anything, he should have been given mental help. He was a person who previously abused his wives and made allies with terrorists. His mental condition was not acceptable. As for the night itself, faster police response might have saved more lives. The police negotiators could have used different tactics to coax Mateen out of his state of mind and also save more people. But yet again, doing all of these things may have had zero impact on Mateen and his state, and would not likely change anything. Now, let’s pretend that the shooting never happened. 50 people would still be alive. The night would have continued on and been full of fun. Omar Mateen would not be a household name. Bars would most likely have less strict security. The topic of gun violence most likely wouldn’t be so strong. LGBT people would feel safe going to clubs and bars.
A fun night at the club can turn into a mass shooting within
At 2:02 AM, Mateen walked in with an assault style gun, an AR-15. The first group of people he shot were located in the bar and on the dance floor. For 33 minutes, he continued shooting between the two areas and killing those trying to escape the building. A standoff lasted for nearly an hour while he was killing that first group. Then he moved on to the second group of victims. Hostages were the next focus and group, because Mateen had dozens trapped in the bathrooms. For hours, he communicated with police negotiators and even pledged allegiance to ISIS. But communicating did nothing, because he still shot any person he saw. Majority of the victims were killed in the bathrooms, because they were trapped and couldn’t escape. Simply, there was no way out. Finally, eight clubgoers escaped at 4:21 AM, when police removed an air conditioning unit from the side of the building. Armoured vehicles and SWAT teams broke through the restroom walls about 5 AM. The few that were still alive and trapped in the restrooms fled out of the broken wall. Mateen had the same idea, and tried to exit the building too. A policeman saw him and shot him, and on scene he died of his six bullet wounds …show more content…
The FBI could have furtherly investigated Mateen when he popped up on their radar. But that doesn’t guarantee that Mateen wouldn’t have done what he did in June. Also, if he had been investigated by the FBI multiple times, then most though he shouldn’t even be able to own a gun. Yet he still legally bought them. The bouncer also could’ve searched him before he entered with the gun. But yet again if he had the gun already out, security would have done little because they would be full of fear. If anything, he should have been given mental help. He was a person who previously abused his wives and made allies with terrorists. His mental condition was not acceptable. As for the night itself, faster police response might have saved more lives. The police negotiators could have used different tactics to coax Mateen out of his state of mind and also save more people. But yet again, doing all of these things may have had zero impact on Mateen and his state, and would not likely change anything. Now, let’s pretend that the shooting never happened. 50 people would still be alive. The night would have continued on and been full of fun. Omar Mateen would not be a household name. Bars would most likely have less strict security. The topic of gun violence most likely wouldn’t be so strong. LGBT people would feel safe going to clubs and bars.
A fun night at the club can turn into a mass shooting within