0:00:15 > 0:00:18Welcome to this special edition of Reporters.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I'm Laura Bicker in Orlando, Florida, as America comes
0:00:21 > 0:00:26to terms with its worst mass shooting in recent history.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We'll have a range of reports from our correspondents
0:00:28 > 0:00:32on the aftermath of this attack, including what it might mean
0:00:32 > 0:00:35for the nation's attitudes towards human rights and gun laws.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Coming up:
0:00:37 > 0:00:40GUNFIRE
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Oh my God, they're all shooting back and forth.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44The moment a party turned into an atrocity.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Images shot by one of the victims of the United States' worst
0:00:47 > 0:00:50terror attack since 9/11.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52A survivor's story.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Harrowing testimony from a victim who was shot three times,
0:00:54 > 0:01:00but played dead as the gunman returned and started shooting again.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I could hear the shotgun was closer.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06I looked over, and he shot the girl next to me.
0:01:06 > 0:01:16And I'm just laying down and thinking, I'm next, I'm dead.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19The US-born gunman who pledged allegiance to IS.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21President Obama calls it an attack on all Americans.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23But rival candidates for the presidency offer radically
0:01:23 > 0:01:25different solutions.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27I will suspend immigration from areas of the world
0:01:27 > 0:01:29where there is a proven history of terrorism
0:01:29 > 0:01:33against the United States.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43you shouldn't be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46APPLAUSE
0:01:46 > 0:01:48As gay communities around the world unite,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52thousands attend a vigil in London's Soho.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53And, love will prevail.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56A video message from the gay community in Orlando
0:01:56 > 0:01:59to the rest of the world.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Do not let fear take away your life.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Educate, be involved.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Love will always win.
0:02:12 > 0:02:1549 dead, 53 injured.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18The worst mass shooting in America's history unfolded in three hours
0:02:18 > 0:02:23of hell at the Pulse nightclub here in Orlando, Florida.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26President Obama described the attack at a gay nightclub as
0:02:26 > 0:02:29an attack on all Americans.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The gunman, Omar Mateen, dialled 911 from the bathroom
0:02:32 > 0:02:35of the club during the shootings to pledge allegiance
0:02:35 > 0:02:38to the so-called Islamic State group.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40But it later emerged that he may have visited the club
0:02:40 > 0:02:43several times before.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Gabriel Gatehouse has this report on how the tragedy unfolded.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And I should warn you, there may be some disturbing images
0:02:49 > 0:02:51in his report.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53MUSIC
0:02:53 > 0:02:56It's Latino night at Pulse, a buzzing gay nightclub
0:02:56 > 0:02:59in downtown Orlando.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04By closing time, the dance floor is nearly full.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07At 2:02am, Omar Mateen goes inside and start
0:03:07 > 0:03:14shooting into the crowd.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16An off-duty police officer, working at the nightclub,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18exchanges fire with the gunman.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Eddie Justice texts his mother from inside a bathroom in the club.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29"Mummy, I love you."
0:03:29 > 0:03:30"In club, they're shooting."
0:03:30 > 0:03:32At 2:09am, the club posts on its Facebook page,
0:03:32 > 0:03:38"Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running".
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Josean Garcia, a former DJ at the club, is out
0:03:40 > 0:03:46with a group of nine friends, including Amanda and Mercedes.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50We heard the gunshots, and once we noticed it was real,
0:03:50 > 0:03:51everybody ducked to the floor.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54It was right next to me.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56I had blood all over my arms.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And it was actually from him.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04And the shooting just continued, it just continued.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07It just didn't stop.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11And as soon as it stopped and I kind of heard him like reloading,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I got up and ran to one of the back doors.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Amanda records a final video on Snapchat.
0:04:18 > 0:04:24GUNFIRE
0:04:24 > 0:04:29She and her best friend Mercedes are later confirmed dead.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Now Omar Mateen, armed with an assault rifle and a handgun,
0:04:33 > 0:04:34begins to take hostages.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37He calls 911, pledging allegiance to Islamic State,
0:04:37 > 0:04:42and makes reference to the Boston Marathon bombs.
0:04:43 > 0:04:472:39am - still inside the bathroom, Eddie Justice sends another
0:04:47 > 0:04:50message to his mother.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53"He's coming, I'm going to die."
0:04:53 > 0:04:57He too has since been confirmed as one of the dead.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02At 5:05am, police and SWAT team members decide to move in.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06They force their way into the club with explosives and a battering ram.
0:05:08 > 0:05:1011 officers exchange gunfire with the shooter.
0:05:10 > 0:05:1430 hostages are rescued.
0:05:14 > 0:05:175:48am - Orlando Police tweet, "We can confirm this is a mass
0:05:17 > 0:05:23casualty situation."
0:05:23 > 0:05:25At 5:53am, police confirmed the shooter,
0:05:25 > 0:05:32Omar Mateen, is dead.
0:05:32 > 0:05:357am - as the authorities begin to search for answers,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39investigators inside the club hear victims' mobile phones
0:05:39 > 0:05:41ringing as family members, desperate for news,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44try to contact them.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Police say suspicious devices were found
0:05:46 > 0:05:49on the gunman and in his car.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent In Charge,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Danny Banks, calls the shooting "an act of terrorism."
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Any time that we have potentially dozens of victims in any
0:05:59 > 0:06:02of our communities, then I think we can qualify that
0:06:02 > 0:06:06as a terrorist activity.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11At 10:30am, law enforcement officials confirmed that 50 people,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14including the shooter, are dead.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18And 53 others are injured.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21As America mourns, Orlando adds its name to an ever-growing list.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26San Bernardino, Charleston, Sandy Hook, Fort Hood,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Virginia Tech, Columbine, and many more.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33But the murder unleashed at the Pulse nightclub sets itself
0:06:33 > 0:06:37apart in scale and in context.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Whilst family and friends of those killed try to come to terms
0:06:40 > 0:06:42with their personal loss, the deadliest shooting in this
0:06:42 > 0:06:44country's modern history has set off an explosive charge right along
0:06:44 > 0:06:51America's most divisive political fault lines.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Well, you heard from some of the victims of this attack
0:06:54 > 0:06:56in Gabriel Gatehouse's report.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02But one of the most dramatic accounts came from Angel Colon.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04He was shot several times, but he survived by playing dead
0:07:04 > 0:07:09while the gunman shot at people lying on the floor.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Here is our North America Editor Jon Sopel with his story.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14APPLAUSE
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Stories of horror and survival don't come much more
0:07:17 > 0:07:19vivid than this.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22At a hospital news conference, Angel Colon, who was shot three
0:07:22 > 0:07:25times in the leg, was applauded from his wheelchair as he spoke
0:07:25 > 0:07:30about the nightmare that unfolded in the Pulse nightclub.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31Everyone started running everywhere.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32I got trampled over.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36And...
0:07:36 > 0:07:41And I shattered and broke my bones in my left leg.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45So by this time I couldn't walk at all, all I could do is just lay
0:07:45 > 0:07:49down there while everyone was just running on top of me, trying to get
0:07:49 > 0:07:50to where they had to be.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54And all I could hear was the shotgun.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57One after another.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59People screaming, people yelling for help.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01He's shooting everyone that's already dead on the floor,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03making sure they're dead.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05I was able to peek over, and I could just see him
0:08:05 > 0:08:09shooting at everyone.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14And I can hear the shotgun closer, and I looked over and he shoots
0:08:14 > 0:08:17the girl next to me.
0:08:17 > 0:08:23And I'm just there, laying down, I'm thinking, I'm next, I'm dead.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29So I don't know how, but he shoots towards my head
0:08:29 > 0:08:31but it hits my hand, and then he shoots me again
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and he hits this side of my hip.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I had no reaction, I was just prepared to just stay there,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43laying down, so that he won't know that I'm alive.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45The hospital, two blocks away from the nightclub,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48had recently gone through a mass shooting incident rehearsal.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Now it was reality.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We're used to seeing gunshot wounds, we're used to seeing a multitude
0:08:54 > 0:08:55of injuries each and every night.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59But this was somewhat of a surreal experience.
0:08:59 > 0:09:08You know, we were just given patient after patient after patient.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11In the immediate aftermath of the shooting at the Pulse
0:09:11 > 0:09:13nightclub, a lot of people asked, why here?
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Why Orlando, when there are so many other bigger, better-known clubs
0:09:16 > 0:09:19closer to where Omar Mateen lived?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22But now it has emerged that he was a regular patron here,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and was using a gay dating app.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28In his first contact with me, he was saying, asking
0:09:28 > 0:09:31like what club, in his words, what clubs are popping,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36things of that sort, what good places are to go.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39But I remember telling him, oh, you can just look at that
0:09:39 > 0:09:41online, I don't go out too much.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43He used to come in the bar, on a weekend sometimes
0:09:43 > 0:09:46he would be there.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Sometimes he would miss a couple of weeks and then come back again.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54He was a regular, we consider that regular.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Irrespective of the motive, nothing changes the maths.
0:09:58 > 0:10:0149 people dead, and many others with life-affecting injuries.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07Jon Sopel, BBC News, Orlando.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Well, we heard some theories there about the motives
0:10:09 > 0:10:10behind this attack.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13But what more do we know about the killer,
0:10:13 > 0:10:1529-year-old Omar Mateen?
0:10:15 > 0:10:18The FBI investigated him before the shootings, but could find no
0:10:18 > 0:10:21terrorist connections.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24His father has said had he known what his son planned to do
0:10:24 > 0:10:26he would have told the police.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Our correspondent Aleem Maqbool has travelled to Omar Mateen's
0:10:29 > 0:10:33hometown of Fort Pierce, where he sent this report.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37As more families are told their loved ones
0:10:37 > 0:10:39died in the attacks, new details are emerging
0:10:39 > 0:10:44about the man who killed them.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Omar Mateen, whose father saw him just hours before
0:10:46 > 0:10:47the bloodshed began.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49My son, what he did was...
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It was totally, totally wrong.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Even though he is my son, I have to admit, this
0:10:55 > 0:10:58is a terrorist act.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I mean, it is terrorising the whole people.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And I don't forgive him.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Daniel Gilroy worked alongside him for about a year
0:11:07 > 0:11:08as a security guard.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10He says Mateen ranted about gay people, black
0:11:10 > 0:11:13people, Jews and women.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17The anger and rage that he had towards people was amazing.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19There was a frustration.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21He hated people.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And he didn't like life.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29And he blamed all his problems on these classes of people.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Do you feel confident that you did everything you could?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35No.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36I feel responsible, guilty.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Omar Mateen's ex-wife says she feared for her life.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44I saw that he was bipolar and he would get mad out of nowhere.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47That's when I started worrying about my safety.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Then after a few months he started abusing me physically.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Very often.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55And not allowing me to speak to my family, keeping
0:11:55 > 0:11:58me hostage from them.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Omar Mateen lived here.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02His father says he didn't see this coming.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04But his son was investigated by the FBI twice -
0:12:04 > 0:12:07once because of suspected associations with a suicide bomber,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11and once because people he worked with were alarmed with his rhetoric.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16Both times the FBI drop those investigations.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Was your son getting any help with mental health problems?
0:12:19 > 0:12:20I didn't see no sign...
0:12:20 > 0:12:21No sign?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23No sign.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28He was working, he was on time, he didn't miss, he didn't do nothing
0:12:28 > 0:12:34as far as violence goes.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37His wife was happy, the kid was happy.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38There are many under the spotlight.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41But ultimately it was one man with two weapons and a twisted
0:12:41 > 0:12:46outlook on life that plunged so many families into despair.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, Fort Pierce, Florida.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55This attack has reignited the debate over America's gun laws,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58with some arguing for radical change to stop disturbed individuals
0:12:58 > 0:13:01or terrorist organisations getting their hands
0:13:01 > 0:13:05on powerful weapons.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Nick Bryant reports on Washington's reaction and the political
0:13:08 > 0:13:10aftermath of this attack.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15# Oh say can you see...
0:13:15 > 0:13:23They sang the national anthem outside the White House.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25But in modern-day America, traumatic events like the massacre
0:13:25 > 0:13:27in Orlando tend to expose the country's divisions as much
0:13:27 > 0:13:30as bringing it together.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34That is especially so in election season, when the fight to occupy
0:13:34 > 0:13:40this building has become so bitter and so angry.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Declaring that political correctness was crippling America,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Donald Trump complained the immigration system is broken,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48and re-doubled his demand for a ban on Muslims
0:13:48 > 0:13:50entering the country.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53When I'm elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world
0:13:53 > 0:13:57where there is a proven history of terrorism against
0:13:57 > 0:14:01the United States, Europe or our allies, until we fully
0:14:01 > 0:14:06understand how to end these threats.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08APPLAUSE
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Hillary Clinton said identifying lone wolves should be
0:14:10 > 0:14:14a top national priority, and she called for new gun controls,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16preventing those on terror watch-lists from buying
0:14:17 > 0:14:19the weapons of war.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29you shouldn't be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33APPLAUSE
0:14:34 > 0:14:36As the political debate raged, the quiet,
0:14:36 > 0:14:41practical work at this mosque in Virginia of persuading
0:14:41 > 0:14:42young Muslims against following a violent path.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Unlike Britain, America has no national
0:14:44 > 0:14:46counter-radicalisation programme.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Community leaders who have launched their own initiatives are calling
0:14:48 > 0:14:51for a more comprehensive approach.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54We are all sharing in this challenge together.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58And the government as well as the communities need to partner
0:14:58 > 0:15:03together to counter radicalisation of all types, because there
0:15:03 > 0:15:07is a common thread of mental health, social issues, political issues,
0:15:07 > 0:15:13technological issues that need to be addressed in a comprehensive way.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14In this American tragedy, various national
0:15:15 > 0:15:23fault lines collide.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25The perennial question of gun control, gay rights, immigration,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27how to protect America, and how to preserve American values.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Orlando has become the bloody backdrop for another,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31more divisive battle for the White House.
0:15:31 > 0:15:39Nick Bryant, BBC News, Washington.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42The attack at the Pulse nightclub here in Orlando was clearly
0:15:42 > 0:15:43an act of terrorism.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45But it was also a hate crime, perpetrated against Florida's gay
0:15:45 > 0:15:46community.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Clive Myrie has been speaking to two Florida residents
0:15:48 > 0:15:51about their responses to the tragedy.
0:15:53 > 0:16:03They are a staple of suburban America - the stars and stripes.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06Shorthand for certain values, a lover of country.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08In Orlando this week, you'll also see this...
0:16:08 > 0:16:11And this...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13And they symbolise a love of country, too.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Billy Wilks has lived here for 28 years, and is proud to be gay.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I had an American flag out, and I changed it and put that up
0:16:19 > 0:16:24the minute I heard about it.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25Why?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It just made me feel good.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29It made me feel like I was paying respect to those
0:16:29 > 0:16:30who did lose their lives.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33It's in this painful moment that those who are LGBT can reflect
0:16:33 > 0:16:35on how far they've come.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37The killer, Omar Mateen, brought carnage here
0:16:37 > 0:16:42because he hated society's embrace of the community.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But some are now questioning God's acceptance.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50Reverend Terri Steed Pierce has been out for nearly 30 years.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54I will continue to tell those people who come and question that
0:16:54 > 0:16:58God is here with us, and wants better for us.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01The killer tried to do that, you think, he tried to force
0:17:01 > 0:17:02you back into the closet?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04He was trying to force us back into a closet
0:17:04 > 0:17:06that was never meant for us.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08And we will stand tall and we will stand proud.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09We can't be afraid.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12As a city mourns, President Obama says the attack on the gay nightclub
0:17:12 > 0:17:15was an attack on all Americans.
0:17:15 > 0:17:22The outpouring of horror and grief nationwide is testament to that.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The outpouring of horror and grief that was felt in gay
0:17:26 > 0:17:28communities around the world.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31In Soho, the heart of London's gay nightlife, thousands packed
0:17:31 > 0:17:33into Old Compton Street, itself the victim of a homophobic
0:17:33 > 0:17:38attack in 1999.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40The crowd held a two-minute silence.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Our reporter James Longman went to join them.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Silence in Soho.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49A moment for London to remember Orlando's dead.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55APPLAUSE
0:17:59 > 0:18:01So, a silence ending now with a spontaneous
0:18:01 > 0:18:03round of applause, as multicoloured balloons rise into
0:18:03 > 0:18:07the air over London.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Similar vigils were marked all over the world.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12But here, Orlando's victims were honoured in a place hatred
0:18:12 > 0:18:14has struck before.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Three people died in a homophobic nail bomb attack in 1999
0:18:17 > 0:18:19at the Admiral Duncan.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23A fitting place to think of those killed at the weekend.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26People who are not gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender realise
0:18:26 > 0:18:32the mental gymnastics that you do walking anywhere.
0:18:32 > 0:18:38What's going to happen if I hold this guy's hand or kiss this guy?
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Can you maybe explain a little bit about why gay venues, LGBT venues,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46are important for people to be able to go to, historically?
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Well, I think they are a safe space.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And I think it's really sad that, you know, we can't actually go
0:18:51 > 0:18:54to these places and not feel safe.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57That is what is happening in America now.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59And will you all be going to Pride this year?
0:19:00 > 0:19:00Yes.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Yes, I will do.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Were you always going to be going, or have you felt even more...
0:19:05 > 0:19:06No, not before, but I will now.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10This again is making it more obvious, more clear that, yes,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15we have won a lot of the battles in the UK and in Europe,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17but this is not over.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Going into a queer space, going into a gay club, yes,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23it is about having a good time and being with all your friends,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25but it's also about a safe space.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26It's about a place of sanctuary.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I've been going to gay clubs for 18 years or more.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30Probably for more than I should be.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And I went there for fun and debauchery.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39But I found my community and my friends and a place where I'm
0:19:39 > 0:19:42not worried to go to the toilets on my own because nobody
0:19:42 > 0:19:43is going to try and do anything.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45This is a sacred space for us.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48So we are mourning the loss of the people that we love,
0:19:48 > 0:19:49whether we knew them or not.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53But we are also mourning the loss of our sanctuary.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55James Longman, BBC News.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Four days after the attack, President Obama came here to Orlando
0:19:59 > 0:20:05to offer his condolences to the families of the 49 victims.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09The US President reiterated his call for stricter gun laws,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12as our correspondent Aleem Maqbool reports.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19There are too many more sombre days this city will have to get through.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22But the first of those killed in the attack here has
0:20:22 > 0:20:25now been laid to rest.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Kimberly Morris worked as a bouncer at the Pulse nightclub.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30She had only recently moved to Florida to help take care
0:20:30 > 0:20:34of her mother and grandmother.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Well, the stories of each one of the 49 victims of the attack have
0:20:37 > 0:20:39now been widely written about.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And for each family burying their dead in the coming days,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46there has been a huge outpouring of support from people moved
0:20:46 > 0:20:51by the tragedy across America.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56President Obama has been visiting Orlando to show his support.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00In private, he has met some of those affected by the horrific attack,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04details of which are still emerging.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08This has been true too many times before.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13I held and hugged grieving family members and parents, and they asked,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16why does this keep happening?
0:21:16 > 0:21:23And they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And so I ask you all this question...
0:21:25 > 0:21:27In response to the attack, Democrat Chris Murphy addressed
0:21:27 > 0:21:31the Senate on gun control.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36And ask yourself, what can you do to make sure that Orlando
0:21:36 > 0:21:44or Sandy Hook never, ever happens again?
0:21:44 > 0:21:48He and other Democratic senators talked for nearly 15 hours until it
0:21:48 > 0:21:56appears Republicans agreed to hold votes on new measures.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59While such steps come too late for those who have suffered here,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01many have expressed hope that at least something good comes
0:22:01 > 0:22:05out of their misery.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, Orlando, Florida.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13What is the one piece of advice the LGBT community has for young
0:22:13 > 0:22:18viewers around the world who may have watched this tragedy unfold?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21We compiled this video message from them to people,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24young and old, in America and beyond, about facing adversity.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25Dear LGBT youth...
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Dear LGBT youth...
0:22:31 > 0:22:35You may have seen the tragedy that occurred here in Orlando...
0:22:35 > 0:22:38But we wanted to say...
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Don't be scared.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Who you are is important for the future.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I love you.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Do not let fear take away your life.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Educate, be involved.
0:22:51 > 0:22:57Love will always win.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Don't let a man, with or without a gun, stop you ever
0:23:01 > 0:23:06from being fierce.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08I must not fear.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14Fear is the mind killer.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Don't let the act of hate define who you are and who we are.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24We are one, and love will always win.
0:23:24 > 0:23:31Be strong, be proud, and most importantly, be you.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Never deny who you are.
0:23:33 > 0:23:39You're made of star stuff.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Love is love.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43No one can take away who you truly are.
0:23:43 > 0:23:51Have faith in yourself and have faith in love.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52Love is a powerful thing.
0:23:52 > 0:24:01And at the end of the day, love will always prevail.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Love will always prevail.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06That is a poignant message from the LGBT
0:24:06 > 0:24:09community here in Florida.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Well, that is it for this special edition of Reporters.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17We will leave you with some images of Orlando, and around the world,
0:24:17 > 0:24:24as America mourns its worst mass shooting in recent US history.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27From me, Laura Bicker, and the team here in Orlando, Florida, goodbye.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34# Oh say can you see
0:24:34 > 0:24:40# By the dawn's early light
0:24:40 > 0:24:43# What so proudly we hailed
0:24:43 > 0:24:49# At the twilight's last gleaming
0:24:49 > 0:24:51# Whose broad stripes and bright stars
0:24:51 > 0:24:58# Through the perilous fight
0:25:16 > 0:25:18# Whose broad stripes and bright stars
0:25:18 > 0:25:24# Through the perilous fight.