Orlando nightclub shooting: Snapchat video captures gunman firing 24 shots in nine seconds
Voices in the video express shock at what is happening before them
Snapchat video captured a brief moment of horror as 24 shots ring out in nine seconds inside of Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
The shots resonate across the dark street, along with screams, and the utter disbelief and shock vocalised by people behind the camera in the video.
“Oh my god. People are getting shot, dude,” one man can be heard saying.
“We need to get out of here,” another male voice responds.
The footage was obtained by Orlando NBC affiliate WESH.
Between the hours of 2 am and 5 am early Sunday morning, more than 50 people were killed and another 53 were injured as a man, identified as Omar Mateen, 29, launched an attack inside of the gay nightclub. Some 300 people were inside.
Mateen had reportedly called 911 prior to the shooting to pledge his allegiance to Isis. The Islamist militant group later claimed responsibility for the attack via the Islamic State-run news agency, Amaq, although the claim has not yet been confirmed.
The shooter’s father had previously said that the attack had “nothing to do with religion”, saying that his son had become enraged when he saw two men kissing in Miami months ago.
“We condemn this monstrous attack and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured,” said Rasha Mubarak, the regional co-ordinator of Council on American-Islamic Relations in Orlando.
“The Muslim community joins our fellow Americans in repudiating anyone or any group that would claim to justify or excuse such an appalling act of violence.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.