Pulse had twice exits needed; 1 inoperable weeks before

Police reported around 320 inside the club at the time of the shooting.

At 2:09 a.m., one dispatcher heard 20 to 30 gunshots. You have now viewed your allowance of free articles. For the next 16 minutes, callers reported multiple shootings. Dispatchers could hear gunshots over the phone.

The City of Orlando on Tuesday has created a dedicated webpage to disseminate records related to the June 12 Pulse nightclub shooting.

The records note that Mateen pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State at 2:40 a.m.

The report recounted where patrons hid in the nightclub: in an office upstairs, in a closet, in a dressing room and behind a stage. Ten people were hiding inside a handicap bathroom stall.

At 5:07 a.m., a dispatcher notes a series of explosions, meaning police were moving in. One caller said there was a second gunman and another thought Mateen had a bomb.

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 city of Orlando has not released audio recordings of the 911 calls or any video recorded by police cameras at the shooting scene. They reveal that Fire Marshall Tammy Hughes and Fire Chief Rodderick Williams discussed the safety of fire exits inside the club.

It’s unclear if the exit in question was still blocked on the night of the shooting. Both items were corrected, Benitez said in a statement.

In his report, he wrote that the “doors are inoperable” in the comments section – and two weeks later, on June 5, the Orlando Fire Department assigned a follow-up exit check for July 1.

Pulse had twice the number of exits needed to accommodate its maximum occupancy of 300 patrons, according to the emails and texts.

The document of 911 calls shows the minute-by-minute dialogue between victims and the police, during which the desperate callers attempted to identify the Mateen to cops.

A hearing is scheduled later this week on the 911 calls, including conversations between shooter Omar Mateen and crisis negotiators. “The city values transparency, but must ensure that the release of records complies with the many Florida law exemptions created to protect the privacy of the victims and the integrity of the investigation”.