U.S. authorities say Omar Mateen, the man who carried out the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, had touted support not just for the Islamic State but also other militant factions, which are enemies of the Sunni extremist group.
Like many other young American men, Omar Mateen worked a series of unremarkable jobs during and after high school a Publix grocery store, Circuit City, Chick-Fil-A and Walgreens.
In reconstructing the events of the bloody night in Orlando, information about more than three critical hours is still missing.
He didn’t come out of nowhere. The Orlando shooter came under suspicion three full years ago, after boasting of mutual acquaintances with the Boston Marathon bombers and making statements to co-workers that suggested he had radical, violent intentions. But after a 10-month investigation the FBI closed the case, finding no criminal charge to pursue.
Orlando, FL – As the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history began to unfold, an off-duty police officer working at a gay nightclub exchanged gunfire with the suspect. But three hours passed before a SWAT team stormed the building and brought the attack to an end.
Port St. Lucie, FL – The father of the Orlando nightclub gunman came to the U.S. from Afghanistan more than 30 years ago and has made a series of rambling political videos about his former homeland, even once describing himself as its “revolutionary president.”
Orlando, FL – It had been an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows. After hours of revelry, the party-goers crowding the gay nightclub known as the Pulse took their last sips before the place closed.
Fort Pierce, FL – The photo from Omar Mateen’s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable – a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair.
Family members of Dan Markel’s ex-wife are implicated in a murder-for-hire scheme that ended in the legal scholar’s July 2014 killing.
After an investigation spanning nearly two years, a South Florida man has been arrested in the killing of a Toronto-born Florida State University professor.