Police's Play-by-Play of Orlando Shooting Revealed: From 'Shots Fired' to 'Subject Down'
— -- The chaos, confusion and horror of what transpired in the deadly assault at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was further revealed in the moment-by-moment police narrative, made public today pursuant to a public records request from ABC News and other media outlets.
Today’s disclosure includes the police dispatch record, which provides a play-by-play of the June 12 mass shooting, from the first call reporting "shots fired" to the “subject down” notification three hours later.
The first call came at 2:02:54 a.m. for “shots fired.” Seconds later, “shots still being fired.”
In the next several minutes, police received multiple calls from inside Pulse. One woman reported “she is hiding [in a] closet"; the call taker could “hear shooting in the background.”
Another caller was “whispering.”
Six minutes after the shooting began, a call taker heard “someone screaming help” and police decided they were “sending a team in.”
In the subsequent seconds, the 911 call takers reported “hearing more shots” and callers advising that the gunman was “still shooting.”
At 2:08:55 a.m., a caller heard the gun shots getting closer and said, “Someone is screaming. I’m shot.” Police had an open line and could hear 20 to 30 gun shots and a female screaming. Then the call taker reported, “My caller is no longer responding, just an open line with moaning.”
At 2:51 a.m. a report came in of “shooter saying [possible] explosives in the parking lot” and a victim reporting a bomb “strapped to him.”
The police dispatcher said “subject advises that he is a terrorist.”
More victims seemed to believe there were explosives and overheard the gunman, Omar Mateen, “saying that he is a terrorist and has several bombs strapped to him in the downstairs female restroom.”
Finally, three hours after the shooting began, the police radio crackled with "subject down" at 5:15:53 a.m.
Records released today also include text messages to and from the Orlando police chief, fire chief and fire marshal, along with a history of code enforcement at the nightclub.
