![swat vehicle used in gay bar shooting swat vehicle used in gay bar shooting](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/06/12/13/352D844100000578-3637414-Police_army_and_FBI_surround_the_club-a-29_1465732830419.jpg)
On one occasion, Comey said co-workers were concerned after Mateen told them he hoped police would raid his apartment and assault his family "so he could martyr himself."Ĭomey said Mateen admitted making some of the comments but said he was lashing out at co-workers who bullied him because of his Muslim background. But Comey reiterated comments made earlier by President Obama that Mateen did not appear to have been directed by the Islamic State or been a part of a larger conspiracy.Ĭomey said his agency investigated Mateen twice since 2013 but found insufficient evidence to charge the 29-year-old security guard with a crime. MORE: Tucson drag performer recalls Orlando victim Edward Sotomayor Jr. | Orlando mass shooting prompts Arizonans to donate blood | Hundreds gather to mourn Orlando shooting at Phoenix vigil | Confusion, anger over fake 'LGBT Phoenix' Trump endorsementĬomey said Mateen apparently had been radicalized, at least in part through online websites. Mateen also had expressed support for al-Nusra and other rogue organizations that are bitter enemies of the Syrian-based militant group. Comey said Mateen's comments were contradictory as he claimed his attack was in support of the Islamic State. Mina and FBI Director James Comey provided more details about Mateen, saying he talked to 911 dispatchers three times in the hours before he was killed by police. That review was ongoing and it was not immediately clear how seriously other locations were considered, the official said. The official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said investigators are reviewing Mateen’s possible consideration of other iconic targets in the Orlando area, including Disney World. "But I remember him saying things about his dad at times. He told us he had a wife and child."Ī federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY that investigators believe Mateen was in the Orlando area for several days prior to the shooting, suggesting the gunman carefully considered the target. "We didn't really talk to him a lot," he added. "Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and belligerent," Ty Smith, told the Sentinel. One recalled seeing the gunman drink at the bar and another said he had used a gay dating and chat app.Ī witness told the Orlando Sentinel that Mateen was in the club at least a dozen times before carrying out his attack. ORLANDO - The gunman whose shooting spree at a packed nightclub left 49 people dead sounded "cool and calm" in negotiations with police before officers stormed the club in a brutal firefight that ended the siege, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said Monday.Īlso on Monday, several regulars at the Pulse club said Omar Mateen, 29, had patronized the club before the attack. View Gallery: Mass shooting at Orlando nightclub