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Orlando nightclub attack: Last of 49 bodies removed, updated list of victims here

Death toll at 49; more than 50 left wounded

The last of the bodies were removed from an Orlando gay nightclub overnight as investigators dug into the background of the gunman, who called 911 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State during the attack that left 49 victims dead.

"We will not be defined by the act of a cowardly hater," Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed on Monday, a day after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

When the attacker opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, it interrupted an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows at a club known for tolerance for all people.

Authorities say suspect Omar Mateen emerged, carrying an AR-15 and fired relentlessly -- 20 rounds, 40, then 50 and more. In such tight quarters, the bullets could hardly miss. He shot at police. He took hostages.

Victims

Dead identified:

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old

Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old

Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old

Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old

Kimberly Morris, 37 years old

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old

Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old

Amanda Alvear, 25 years old

Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old

Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old

Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old

Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old

Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old

Cory James Connell, 21 years old

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old

Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old

Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old

Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old

Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old

Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old

Frank Hernandez, 27 years old

Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old

Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old

Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old

The City of Orlando is posting the identifications of victims on its website here.

The target

Patrons of the Pulse nightclub, which on its website describes itself as "the hottest gay bar in Orlando," were targeted. June is Pride Month. Between 300 and 350 people were at the club.

There were dramatic new details about how some employees and patrons of the nightclub survived, according to a source close to the nightclub's owners and employees:

One person hiding in the bathroom covered herself with bodies to protect herself. She survived.

Some entertainers hid in the dressing room when the shooting started. They were able to escape the building when police removed the air conditioning unit and crawled out.

One of the bartenders said that she was hiding under the glass bar. Police came in and said, "If you are alive, raise your hand." Police got them out.

Timeline of Orlando nightclub shooting

Barbara Poma, owner of Pulse, released the following statement: "Like everyone in the country, I am devastated about the horrific events that have taken place today. Pulse, and the men and women who work there, have been my family for nearly 15 years. From the beginning, Pulse has served as a place of love and acceptance for the LGBTQ community. I want to express my profound sadness and condolences to all who have lost loved ones. Please know that my grief and heart are with you."

The shooter

The shooter, killed by officers, has been identified as Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, 29, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The suspect was from Fort Pierce, Florida. The shooter called 911 during the attack to pledge allegiance to ISIS and mentioned the Boston bombers, according to a U.S. official.

The family of the shooter told investigators Mateen wasn't particularly religious from what they observed. They expressed surprise about any connection to ISIS, according to two law enforcement officials. (He was born in New York to parents from Afghanistan.)

Two former high school classmates at two different schools remember Omar Mateen saying something to the effect that Osama bin Laden was his uncle. The classmates said that the September 11 attacks seemed to be a significant moment for him.

In an interview with CNN's Drew Griffin, the imam at the Fort Pierce Islamic Center, Dr. Syed Shafeeq Rahman, says Mateen was playful and more social when young, but recently kept to himself. Mateen would come two or three times a week for two hours and talk to no one.

Mateen did express outrage to his father after seeing two men kissing in Miami, investigators say. Mateen's ex-wife told investigators he had issues with anger. Sitora Yusufiy said Mateen was a normal husband at the beginning of their marriage, but a few months in he started abusing her. Mateen was "bipolar" she said, but he was not formally diagnosed.

The shooter purchased a handgun and a long gun within the last few days, ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Trevor Velinor told reporters. "He is not a prohibited person. They can legally walk into a gun dealership and acquire and purchase firearms. He did so. And he did so within the last week or so," Velinor said.

Investigators recovered a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver from the shooter's vehicle, according to a law enforcement official.

Investigators inside the nightclub today described a jarring scene as they walked among the dead bodies, they could hear victims' cell phones still ringing as moms and family members called for their loved ones.

Mateen was interviewed by the FBI in 2013 and 2014, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ronald Hopper told reporters. "Those interviews turned out to be inconclusive, so there was nothing to keep the investigation going," Hopper said.

Mateen was not under investigation at the time of the shooting and was not under surveillance, Hopper said.

According to a neighbor who saw him regularly, Mateen worked as a security guard at the Port St. Lucie courthouse. The neighbor said Mateen often worked security in the front of the building, manning the metal detectors.

Authorities are looking into possible self-radicalization.

Reaction

"This is clearly an act of terrorism," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Sunday as he spoke to reporters about the shooting. "It's sickening," he said. "It should make every American angry."

President Barack Obama addressed the nation, calling the Orlando attack an "act of terror and an act of hate." He ordered flags to be flown at half-staff. This is the 15th time Obama has made an address in response to a mass shooting.

Obama's first campaign appearance with presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been postponed because of the Orlando shootings, the campaign announced.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the Orlando nightclub terror attack on jihadi forums, but ISIS sympathizers reacted by praising the attack on pro-Islamic State forums, according to CNN Terrorism Analyst Paul Cruickshank.

Vigils in metro Detroit

Monday, 6 p.m.
Clark Park, Detroit
1130 Clarke Avenue

Monday, 7:30 p.m.
University of Michigan-Flint
Willson Park on UM-Flint campus

Tuesday, 8:30 p.m.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Metro Detroit Chapter
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center
1730 W. Auburn Rd, Rochester Hills
Willson Park is located between First and Kearsley streets near Wallenburg Street


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