Orlando shooting: Ex-Marine saved 70 people after recognising the sound of 'high-calibre' gunfire

Many witnesses have spoken in the aftermath of the shooting about how they initially thought the noise of the gunfire was part of the show. But Imran Yousuf says he recognised it right away

Imran Yousuf speaks to CBS News (CBS News)

An ex-Marine who was working as a bouncer at the Pulse nightclub on Saturday night is believed to have saved as many as 70 lives after he reacted first to the sound of “high calibre” gunfire.

Imran Yousuf, a 24-year-old Hindu who left the Marine Corps just two months earlier, broke down in an interview with CBS News as he said: “I wish I could have saved more to be honest… there are a lot of people dead.”

The veteran found himself at the centre of the worst mass shooting in modern US history, and likely walked right past the shooter Omar Mateen as he did his rounds.

But he was at the back of the club when Mateen walked in armed, firing indiscriminately with an AR-15 style assault rifle.

Many witnesses have spoken in the aftermath of the shooting about how they initially thought the noise of the gunfire was part of the show. But Mr Yousuf said he recognised it right away.

“The initial one was three or four (shots),” he said. “That was a shock. Three of four shots go off and you could tell it was a high calibre.

“Everyone froze. I'm here in the back and I saw people start pouring into the back hallway, and they just sardine pack everyone.”

In the panic, no one thought to try a locked door leading out the pack of the club onto the street. Mr Yousuf shouted at them to “open the door!”, but they were all shocked into inaction.

“There was only one choice. Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch a we got everyone that we can out of there.

“As soon as people found that door was open they kept pouring out and after that we just ran.”

Mr Yousuf estimates there were “probably over 60, 70” people trapped in the corridor before he got them out. According to the Daily Gazette, he stayed on afterwards to help carry the wounded to ambulances.

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Speaking to the Gazette, Imran’s brother Ameer Yousuf said: “This was so unexpected but because of my brother’s training in the Marine Corps, he was prepared and used strategies from that to do everything he did.

Ameer said his brother joined the Marines at 17 straight out of high school, and served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He’d been working at Pulse for around a month before the shooting on Saturday night, and is also back in school learning to become a personal trainer.

“Because of his training, he knew to remove his security shirt and how to think as quickly as he did,” said Ameer.

Mr Yousuf wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, describing how he only “reacted by instinct” and asking people focus their efforts on the victims and their families.

“I have lost a few of my friends that night which I am just finding out about right now and while it might seem that my actions are heroic I decided that the others around me needed to be saved as well and so I just reacted,” he wrote.

““We need to show our love and profound efforts to the families and friends who have lost someone and help them cope with what happened and turn our efforts to those who truly need it.

“Once again I sincerely thank everyone and bless all those who are recovering and trying to make sense of it all.”