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(more) # Orlando shooting of 2016 mass shooting, Orlando, Florida, United States Homework Help Also known as: Pulse nightclub shooting Written by [Michael Ray Michael Ray is an assistant managing editor who has worked at Britannica since 2003. In addition to leading the Geography and History team, he oversees coverage of European history and military affairs....](https://www.britannica.com/editor/Michael-Ray/6392) Michael Ray Fact-checked by [Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....](https://www.britannica.com/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419) Britannica Editors [History](https://www.britannica.com/event/Orlando-shooting-of-2016/additional-info#history)  Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything **Orlando shooting of 2016**, [mass shooting](https://www.britannica.com/topic/mass-shooting) that took place at the [Pulse](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pulse-nightclub) nightclub in [Orlando](https://www.britannica.com/place/Orlando-Florida), [Florida](https://www.britannica.com/place/Florida), in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, and left 49 people dead and more than 50 [wounded](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/wounded). It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history up to that time. ## The shooter The gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, was a U.S. citizen born in Queens, [New York](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state), to Afghan parents. In May 2013 the [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Federal-Bureau-of-Investigation) declared Mateen to be “a person of interest” and launched a preliminary investigation of him after he told coworkers at a security firm that he had ties to [al-Qaeda](https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Qaeda) and [Hezbollah](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hezbollah). The 10-month investigation ended with no charges being filed against Mateen, but the FBI questioned him in 2014 after an associate of his became a [suicide bomber](https://www.britannica.com/topic/suicide-bombing) for the Nusrah Front, a terrorist organization in Syria. Mateen later told a friend that he had been watching jihadist videos recorded by al-Qaeda propagandist [Anwar al-Awlaki](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anwar-al-Awlaki), and that friend notified the authorities. Like the first investigation, the second [yielded](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/yielded) no actionable evidence, and it was closed. Mateen had held a Florida firearms license since 2007, when he began working as a security guard. Although his name had appeared in the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database (the so-called “terrorist watch list”) while he was the subject of active investigations, it was removed once they were closed. In any event, his presence on that list would not have precluded him from legally purchasing firearms, and on June 4, 2016, Mateen bought a Sig Sauer MCX semiautomatic [assault rifle](https://www.britannica.com/technology/assault-rifle). The following day he purchased a Glock 17 9mm [semiautomatic pistol](https://www.britannica.com/technology/semiautomatic-pistol). Both weapons were used in the attack. ## The shooting Since its opening in 2004, Orlando’s Pulse dance club had established itself as one of central Florida’s most vibrant centres for [lesbian](https://www.britannica.com/topic/lesbianism), [gay](https://www.britannica.com/topic/homosexuality), [bisexual](https://www.britannica.com/topic/bisexuality-human-behavior), [transgender](https://www.britannica.com/topic/transgender), and [queer](https://www.britannica.com/topic/queer-sexual-politics) (LGBTQ) social life. On the night of the attack, the club was hosting its popular Latin Night, an event that drew from a broad [cross section](https://www.britannica.com/science/cross-section-physics) of the [community](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community). Just after 2:00 am on June 12, 2016, more than 300 people were inside the club when Mateen opened fire near the entrance. Almost immediately, Adam Gruler, an off-duty Orlando police officer who had been working as a security guard at Pulse, engaged in a gun battle with Mateen before withdrawing in the face of superior firepower. Gruler requested assistance, and, within minutes, additional police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene and began carrying victims to a hastily erected [triage](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triage) centre across the street. A group of police officers, several of whom had Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) training, entered the club through a broken window and exchanged fire with Mateen. At this point, roughly 10 minutes had passed since the beginning of the shooting rampage, and while many patrons had been able to escape, dozens were either dead, wounded, or trapped inside the club. Over the next 20 minutes, a harrowing portrait of the events inside Pulse was relayed to emergency services operators, police dispatchers, and [social media](https://www.britannica.com/technology/social-network) outlets. Callers reported hearing additional gunshots as Mateen moved through the club, and survivors took to [Twitter](https://www.britannica.com/money/Twitter) and [Facebook](https://www.britannica.com/money/Facebook) to [recount](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/recount) their experiences. At 2:35 am Mateen placed a call to 911, at which point he professed his “allegiance to [Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abu-Bakr-al-Baghdadi) of the [Islamic State](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islamic-State-in-Iraq-and-the-Levant).” Police reported that they had hemmed in Mateen in the bathroom area, and the posture of the law-enforcement response shifted from an active shooter engagement to a hostage situation. Over the next hour, Mateen spoke with negotiators three times, staying on the phone for a total of 28 minutes, while many gravely wounded victims remained inaccessible to rescue personnel. During these calls, Mateen claimed that he had placed a bomb in one of the cars parked outside and stated that he was wearing an explosive vest similar to those used by the [November 2015 Paris attackers](https://www.britannica.com/event/Paris-attacks-of-2015). Mateen also searched the [Internet](https://www.britannica.com/technology/Internet) for news coverage of the attack from his [phone](https://www.britannica.com/technology/mobile-telephone) and exchanged text messages with his wife. Quick Facts Also called: Pulse nightclub shooting *(Show more)* Date: June 12, 2016 *(Show more)* Location: [Florida](https://www.britannica.com/place/Florida) [Orlando](https://www.britannica.com/place/Orlando-Florida) [United States](https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States) *(Show more)* [See all related content](https://www.britannica.com/facts/Orlando-shooting-of-2016) At 4:21 am police officers and trapped patrons succeeded in removing an air-conditioning unit from the exterior wall of one of the club’s dressing rooms, enabling a handful of survivors to flee to safety. Those who escaped told police that Mateen was planning to place bomb vests on four hostages within the next 15 minutes, and SWAT and hazardous device teams prepared to [breach](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breach) the wall of the building with explosives. At 5:02 am the Orlando police triggered the first of several controlled detonations before smashing through the wall of the club with an [armoured vehicle](https://www.britannica.com/technology/armoured-vehicle). Hostages poured out of the building, and Mateen was killed after engaging almost a dozen police officers in a gun battle. After the standoff had concluded, investigators learned that Mateen’s claim about bomb vests was a bluff, as no explosive devices were found inside the club. Britannica AI *chevron\_right* Orlando shooting of 2016 *close* [AI-generated answers](https://www.britannica.com/about-britannica-ai) from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. # The motive and aftermath In the days following the attack, numerous people stated that they had recognized Mateen from various gay dating Web sites and apps, but the [FBI](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Federal-Bureau-of-Investigation) was not able to [substantiate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substantiate) those claims through [forensic](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forensic) examination of his phone, his computer, or online account records. There was no evidence that he had been directed to make the attack by the [Islamic State](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islamic-State-in-Iraq-and-the-Levant) in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also called ISIS), and the declaration of [allegiance](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allegiance) that he made to ISIL in his 911 phone call was just the latest in a series of contradictory statements along such lines made by Mateen. At various times, he had claimed solidarity with [Hezbollah](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hezbollah) (a Lebanese Shīʿite militia allied with Syrian Pres. [Bashar al-Assad](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bashar-al-Assad)), the Nusrah Front (a Syrian [al-Qaeda](https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Qaeda) client engaging in open warfare with Assad), and ISIL (which was fighting both of the previous groups). Mateen’s seeming inability to distinguish between these competing [ideologies](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideologies) made his apparent self-radicalization no less dangerous, and it emphasized the threat posed by so-called “lone wolf” terrorists. Prior to the October 2017 [mass shooting](https://www.britannica.com/topic/mass-shooting) on the [Las Vegas Strip](https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Vegas-Strip), the Pulse attack was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, a milestone made problematic by the uncertain definition of such an event. Some 120 settlers were killed by a Mormon militia at [Mountain Meadows](https://www.britannica.com/event/Mountain-Meadows-massacre) in September 1857, and more than 200 [Sioux](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Oceti-Sakowin) men, women, and children were massacred by federal troops at [Wounded Knee](https://www.britannica.com/place/Wounded-Knee) on December 29, 1890. As these two mass killings were carried out by organized military or paramilitary groups and not individuals, they are typically not included in a survey of mass shootings. Similarly, as many as 300 people may have been killed in the [Tulsa race riot of 1921](https://www.britannica.com/event/Tulsa-race-massacre-of-1921), but this is event could be more accurately [characterized](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/characterized) as a deadly mob action or even a [lynching](https://www.britannica.com/topic/lynching) writ large. Using the most widely accepted criterion—the targeting of people in a public place for reasons unrelated to another crime—the deadliest mass shooting prior to June 12, 2016, had occurred at [Virginia Tech](https://www.britannica.com/event/Virginia-Tech-shooting), in Blacksburg, Virginia, on April 16, 2007, when a gunman killed 32 people and wounded 17 others. [](https://cdn.britannica.com/26/193226-050-E7E6D48C/Members-public-respects-memorial-nightclub-Pulse-street-June-21-2016.jpg) [Orlando shooting of 2016](https://cdn.britannica.com/26/193226-050-E7E6D48C/Members-public-respects-memorial-nightclub-Pulse-street-June-21-2016.jpg)A memorial outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, following a mass shooting that left 49 people dead, June 2016. (more) The shootings at Pulse also represented the deadliest single incident targeting the [LGBTQ community](https://www.britannica.com/topic/LGTBQ-community) in U.S. history, eclipsing the June 24, 1973, [arson](https://www.britannica.com/topic/arson) attack on the UpStairs Lounge in [New Orleans](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Orleans-Louisiana). That fire claimed the lives of 32 people, among them the congregants of a pro-LGBT Christian church who were meeting at the bar after the conclusion of services. That fire was the deadliest in New Orleans history, but public officials largely ignored the event, with neither the mayor nor Louisiana’s governor issuing a statement, and local churches refused to host funerals for the dead. The response to the Pulse attack could not have been more different. Tens of thousands attended public vigils and observances around the world, and landmarks such as [One World Trade Center](https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Trade-Center) and the [Eiffel Tower](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eiffel-Tower-Paris-France) were [illuminated](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illuminated) in the rainbow colours of [Gay Pride](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pride-Month). U.S. Pres. [Barack Obama](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barack-Obama) and Vice Pres. [Joe Biden](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joe-Biden) met with survivors and the families of victims in [Orlando](https://www.britannica.com/place/Orlando-Florida), and Obama renewed his call for a [legislative response to gun violence](https://www.britannica.com/technology/gun-control). He described the attack as both an act of [terrorism](https://www.britannica.com/topic/terrorism) and a [hate crime](https://www.britannica.com/topic/hate-crime), stressing that “attacks on any American—regardless of race, [ethnicity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnicity), religion, or sexual orientation—\[are attacks\] on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country.” [Michael Ray](https://www.britannica.com/editor/Michael-Ray/6392) Load Next Page Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. *print* Print Please select which sections you would like to print: *verified*Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Ray, Michael. "Orlando shooting of 2016". *Encyclopedia Britannica*, 13 Feb. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/event/Orlando-shooting-of-2016. Accessed 16 April 2026. Copy Citation Share Share to social media [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/) [X](https://x.com/britannica) URL <https://www.britannica.com/event/Orlando-shooting-of-2016> External Websites - [University of Groningen - The impact of the Orlando mass shooting on fear of victimization and gun-purchasing intentions (PDF)](https://pure.rug.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/58573617/The_impact_of_the_Orlando_mass_shooting_on_fear_of_victimization_and_gun_purchasing_intentions.pdf) - [PBS News - 50 killed at Orlando nightclub in worst mass shooting in U.S. history](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/many-dead-in-florida-nightclub-shooting) - [BBC News - Orlando nightclub shooting: How the attack unfolded](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36511778) - [CNN - Orlando shooting: 49 killed, shooter pledged ISIS allegiance](https://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting) - [NPR - Orlando Nightclub Shooting](https://www.npr.org/series/484406692/npr-special-coverage-of-the-orlando-nightclub-shooting) - [ABC Listen - RN Drive - A world of questions after Orlando mass shooting](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-drive/a-world-of-questions-after-orlando-mass-shooting/7506612)

**Orlando shooting of 2016**, [mass shooting](https://www.britannica.com/topic/mass-shooting) that took place at the [Pulse](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pulse-nightclub) nightclub in [Orlando](https://www.britannica.com/place/Orlando-Florida), [Florida](https://www.britannica.com/place/Florida), in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, and left 49 people dead and more than 50 [wounded](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/wounded). It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history up to that time. ## The shooter The gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, was a U.S. citizen born in Queens, [New York](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state), to Afghan parents. In May 2013 the [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Federal-Bureau-of-Investigation) declared Mateen to be “a person of interest” and launched a preliminary investigation of him after he told coworkers at a security firm that he had ties to [al-Qaeda](https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Qaeda) and [Hezbollah](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hezbollah). The 10-month investigation ended with no charges being filed against Mateen, but the FBI questioned him in 2014 after an associate of his became a [suicide bomber](https://www.britannica.com/topic/suicide-bombing) for the Nusrah Front, a terrorist organization in Syria. Mateen later told a friend that he had been watching jihadist videos recorded by al-Qaeda propagandist [Anwar al-Awlaki](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anwar-al-Awlaki), and that friend notified the authorities. Like the first investigation, the second [yielded](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/yielded) no actionable evidence, and it was closed. Mateen had held a Florida firearms license since 2007, when he began working as a security guard. Although his name had appeared in the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database (the so-called “terrorist watch list”) while he was the subject of active investigations, it was removed once they were closed. In any event, his presence on that list would not have precluded him from legally purchasing firearms, and on June 4, 2016, Mateen bought a Sig Sauer MCX semiautomatic [assault rifle](https://www.britannica.com/technology/assault-rifle). The following day he purchased a Glock 17 9mm [semiautomatic pistol](https://www.britannica.com/technology/semiautomatic-pistol). Both weapons were used in the attack. ## The shooting Since its opening in 2004, Orlando’s Pulse dance club had established itself as one of central Florida’s most vibrant centres for [lesbian](https://www.britannica.com/topic/lesbianism), [gay](https://www.britannica.com/topic/homosexuality), [bisexual](https://www.britannica.com/topic/bisexuality-human-behavior), [transgender](https://www.britannica.com/topic/transgender), and [queer](https://www.britannica.com/topic/queer-sexual-politics) (LGBTQ) social life. On the night of the attack, the club was hosting its popular Latin Night, an event that drew from a broad [cross section](https://www.britannica.com/science/cross-section-physics) of the [community](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community). Just after 2:00 am on June 12, 2016, more than 300 people were inside the club when Mateen opened fire near the entrance. Almost immediately, Adam Gruler, an off-duty Orlando police officer who had been working as a security guard at Pulse, engaged in a gun battle with Mateen before withdrawing in the face of superior firepower. Gruler requested assistance, and, within minutes, additional police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene and began carrying victims to a hastily erected [triage](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triage) centre across the street. A group of police officers, several of whom had Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) training, entered the club through a broken window and exchanged fire with Mateen. At this point, roughly 10 minutes had passed since the beginning of the shooting rampage, and while many patrons had been able to escape, dozens were either dead, wounded, or trapped inside the club. Over the next 20 minutes, a harrowing portrait of the events inside Pulse was relayed to emergency services operators, police dispatchers, and [social media](https://www.britannica.com/technology/social-network) outlets. Callers reported hearing additional gunshots as Mateen moved through the club, and survivors took to [Twitter](https://www.britannica.com/money/Twitter) and [Facebook](https://www.britannica.com/money/Facebook) to [recount](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/recount) their experiences. At 2:35 am Mateen placed a call to 911, at which point he professed his “allegiance to [Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abu-Bakr-al-Baghdadi) of the [Islamic State](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islamic-State-in-Iraq-and-the-Levant).” Police reported that they had hemmed in Mateen in the bathroom area, and the posture of the law-enforcement response shifted from an active shooter engagement to a hostage situation. Over the next hour, Mateen spoke with negotiators three times, staying on the phone for a total of 28 minutes, while many gravely wounded victims remained inaccessible to rescue personnel. During these calls, Mateen claimed that he had placed a bomb in one of the cars parked outside and stated that he was wearing an explosive vest similar to those used by the [November 2015 Paris attackers](https://www.britannica.com/event/Paris-attacks-of-2015). Mateen also searched the [Internet](https://www.britannica.com/technology/Internet) for news coverage of the attack from his [phone](https://www.britannica.com/technology/mobile-telephone) and exchanged text messages with his wife. Quick Facts Also called: Pulse nightclub shooting Date: June 12, 2016 At 4:21 am police officers and trapped patrons succeeded in removing an air-conditioning unit from the exterior wall of one of the club’s dressing rooms, enabling a handful of survivors to flee to safety. Those who escaped told police that Mateen was planning to place bomb vests on four hostages within the next 15 minutes, and SWAT and hazardous device teams prepared to [breach](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breach) the wall of the building with explosives. At 5:02 am the Orlando police triggered the first of several controlled detonations before smashing through the wall of the club with an [armoured vehicle](https://www.britannica.com/technology/armoured-vehicle). Hostages poured out of the building, and Mateen was killed after engaging almost a dozen police officers in a gun battle. After the standoff had concluded, investigators learned that Mateen’s claim about bomb vests was a bluff, as no explosive devices were found inside the club.