Harriet Alexander, new york
12 JUNE 2016 • 2:39PM
• Up to 50 killed and 42 wounded in Florida nightclub shooting
• Omar Mateen, a US citizen from Port St. Lucie, Florida identified as gunman
• Police storm Pulse nightclub after standoff and release 30 hostages
• FBI believe shooting was terrorism
• Customers on Facebook told to “get out of Pulse and keep running”
• Gunman confirmed dead

2:24pm
Gunman identified
Authorities have identified the shooter as Omar Mateen, a US citizen from Port St. Lucie, Florida.

1:57pm
What we know so far
Around 50 people have been killed in a mass shooting in Orlando
Gunman opened fire at Pulse gay nightclub around 2am
Well-armed and wearing an explosive device
Police classing it as “act of terrorism” – unclear if homophobic, Islamist or unrelated
Gunman held 30 people hostage for three hours
Police stormed the building and the gunman died
Orlando police to update at 9:30am (2:30pm in UK)
1:35pm
America’s grim history of mass shootings
In February The Washington Post produced this excellent analysis of mass shootings in the US.

The result is a compelling look at the victims and killers. The oldest victim was 98, the youngest was three-months old.

“All but three of the mass shooters were male, the vast majority were age 20 to 49, and many showed previous signs of mental illness. More than half — 71 of them — died at or near the scene of the shooting, often by killing themselves.”

1:21pm
‘One of the worst mass shootings in American history’
CNN are describing the Orlando shooting as one of the worst in US history.

The police will update us on the situation at 9.30am local time, 2.30pm in the UK.

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