2016 Orlando Night Club Shooting
Jenna Williams
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
Author Note
Jenna Williams
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jenna Williams.
Email: jwilliams1102@liberty . edu
Abstract
The mass shooting that took place at Pulse Nightclub was a horrible event that took the
lives of 49 people was a tragic event. Had the situation been handled better and the response time
faster, the number of casualties could have been greatly reduced. The terrorist attack at Pulse
Night Club is, to date America’s second deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in recent
United States history and the deadliest LGBTQ attack in United States history. This attack was
deemed both an act of terrorism and a hate crime by Former President Barack Obama following
the aftermath of the disaster. This tragedy affected the lives of the survivors, victims, friends,
family, first responders, both at the scene and at the hospitals, and the entire LGBTQIA
community as a whole. This paper will discuss what happened at pulse, the background of the
shooter, what went wrong, and the four stages of the emergency management cycle.
Overview
On Sunday, June 12, 2016, during the early hours of the morning, the gunman, 29-year-
old Omar Mateen, entered the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. At about 2 am, with more
than 300 people inside of the club who were gathered for a Latinx themed dance night, Mateen
opened fire near the entrance. He then engaged in a gun battle with the security guard Adam
Gruler, who was an off-duty Orlando police officer (Ray,2016). Gruler called for backup and
within minutes, the police officers, and emergency responders arrived at the club and began
helping people who had managed to make it out of the club. At 2:09 a.m. a warning was posted
on to the clubs Facebook page that stated, “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running”
(Zambelich & Hurt, 2016). Then a group of police officers who had received SWAT training
broke a window and exchanged fire with the shooter. At this point, about 10 minutes had passed
since the police had arrived at the scene and while many people were able to escape the club,
many were either trapped inside, wounded, or dead.
A gruesome account of what happened inside Pulse was conveyed to emergency service
personnel, police dispatchers, and social media outlets over the course of the next 20 minutes. As
Mateen progressed through the club, callers reported hearing more gunshots, and survivors
shared their stories on Twitter and Facebook. Mateen called 911 at 2:35 in the morning and
declared his "allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State" (Ray, 2016). Mateen was
reportedly surrounded by police in the restroom area, and the police response had changed from
an active shooter confrontation to a hostage situation. Over the course of the next hour, Mateen
had three phone conversations with negotiators, speaking to them for a total of 28 minutes, while
several seriously wounded victims were still out of reach for rescuers. During these calls, Mateen
stated that he had planted a bomb in one of the cars parked outside and that he was wearing a
suicide vest that was similar to the one that was worn by the Paris terrorists in November 2015.
At 4:21 a.m., police officers and people who were trapped inside were able to work
together to remove an air-conditioning unit from the exterior wall of one of the club's dressing
rooms, allowing several survivors to retreat to safety. At 5:02 a.m., Orlando police detonated the
first of several explosive charges before battering through the club's wall with an armored car.
Captives started pouring out of the building (Zambelich & Hurt, 2016).
At 5:15 a.m. Omar Mateen was killed in a gun battle with about a dozen police officers.
Investigators discovered that Mateen's claim about bomb vests was a hoax after the standoff
ended, because no weapons and explosives were discovered inside the club. Mateen mercilessly
took the lives of 49 people and shot and injured more than 50 people who were gathered for a
Latinx themed dance night.
The Shooter
Omar Mateen was a United States citizen who was born to Afghan parents in Queens,
New York. In 2013 he was deemed a person of interest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
FBI, who had launched a preliminary investigation into him after coworkers reported that had
ties to both al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. After a six-month-long investigation, it ended with no
charges being filed against him (Ray,20160. However, in 2014 the FBI questioned him after one
of his associates became a suicide bomber for the terrorist group, Nusrah Front. Mateen
eventually revealed to a friend that he had been watching jihadist videos taken by al-Qaeda
propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki, and the friend alerted authorities. The second investigation, just
like the first, produced no actionable evidence and was closed. Mateen was again investigated
was again investigated by the FBI after a friend reported that he was watching jihadists
propaganda videos in his free time, ad like the first two investigations, the investigation was
closed with no charges filed.
Mitigation
Although there was a security guard who was armed and working the front door, I
believe that had there been more security, the damage, deaths, and injuries could have been less
substantial. Had there been more security guards then the shooter, Mateen, would have had a
much harder time getting into the club. Another thing that could have possibly helped to mitigate
this mass shooting and terrorist attack is metal detectors. If there were metal detectors at every
entrance the shooter would not have been able to enter the Orlando nightclub with a firearm, as it
would have alerted the security who would have been able to prevent him from bringing his gun
inside of the club. They also could have implemented the use of the pat down, that way if for
some reason the metal detectors failed to detect the weapon security would be able to.
Now to the FBI, if the FBI had not just investigated Mateen, but had him watched and did
kept the investigations open since he was being watched so often, they may have been able to
figure out what he was planning. I think that after the first investigation, the FBI should have just
continued to watch Omar Mateen. I believe this because if he was continually being reported
then obviously there was something not right, possibly sketchy, and obviously concerning, about
him. The FBI should have investigated longer and further they may have been able to stop him
before he committed an act of terrorism on American soil.
Preparedness
To be prepared in the case of another shooting it would be a good idea to make sure that
there are protocols in place for how to handle active shooters. All law enforcement officers, and
first responders should be trained in what to do, what exactly each person's job is during an
incident. All law enforcement officers should be required to complete at least six active shooter
trainings a year where they not only learn how to handle these tough situations, but also put the
knowledge to test by running simulations. They should learning how to respond correctly, how
to respond quickly, and what to do if the suspect or suspects are wear suicide vests or are in
possession of explosives
Response
The three hours that it took from the time that Orlando law enforcement and SWAT teams
arrived to Pulse Nightclub to the time that it took for them to actually enter the club is something
that should not have happened and needs to be worked on. There needs to be protocols in place
for things like this. The law enforcement should not have stayed outside as long as they did, they
should have entered the club. There was a lot of them and one shooter, they could have taken
him out.
Biblical Integration
Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall
love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
I picked Leviticus 19:18 for this weeks passage because as much as the shooting at Pulse
Nightclub in Orlando was an act of terror, it was also a hate crime. Mateen entered into the club
knowing that it was an LGBTQ club, he knew that it was a a popular club. He made the decision
to walk into that club and open fire. No one forced him to do it. This verse talks tells you not to
hold a grudge, but to instead just love your neighbor.
I don’t know for sure, but I can imagine that after this shooting, there are some families
who lost their love ones who are full of nothing but hate for Omar Mateen and I can’t say that I
blame them. This verse is saying that no matter what people do to you, no matter how much they
hurt you, you should always love them anyways, no matter how hard it is, we have to try our
hardest to love them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the terrorist attack that took place at Pulse Nightclub was the deadliest
mass shooting to take place in the United States to date. A lot of things went wrong that could
have been avoided had the proper systems been in place. Hopefully the United States learned
from this incident and will put the correct systems into place to ensure that the damages is
minimized next time.
References
A&E Television Networks. (2018, June 25). Terrorist gunman attacks pulse nightclub in
Orlando, Florida. History.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/terrorist-gunman-attacks-pulse-nightclub-in-
orlando-florida
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Orlando shooting of 2016. Encyclopædia Britannica.
Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Orlando-shooting-of-
2016
Leviticus 19: ESV bible: Youversion. Leviticus 19 | ESV Bible | YouVersion. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 11, 2022, from https://www.bible.com/bible/59/LEV.19.ESV
Rescue, response, and Resilience - United States Department of Justice. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 11, 2022, from https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-w0857-pub.pdf
Zambelich, A., & Hurt, A. (2016, June 26). 3 hours in Orlando: Piecing together an attack and
its aftermath. NPR. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from
https://www.npr.org/2016/06/16/482322488/orlando-shooting-what-happened-update
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