18/06/2016 Reporters

Welcome to this special edition of Reporters.

I'm Laura Bicker in Orlando, Florida, as America comes

to terms with its worst mass shooting in recent history.

We'll have a range of reports from our correspondents

on the aftermath of this attack, including what it might mean

for the nation's attitudes towards human rights and gun laws.

Coming up:

GUNFIRE

Oh my God, they're all shooting back and forth.

The moment a party turned into an atrocity.

Images shot by one of the victims of the United States' worst

terror attack since 9/11.

A survivor's story.

Harrowing testimony from a victim who was shot three times,

but played dead as the gunman returned and started shooting again.

I could hear the shotgun was closer.

I looked over, and he shot the girl next to me.

And I'm just laying down and thinking, I'm next, I'm dead.

The US-born gunman who pledged allegiance to IS.

President Obama calls it an attack on all Americans.

But rival candidates for the presidency offer radically

different solutions.

I will suspend immigration from areas of the world

where there is a proven history of terrorism

against the United States.

If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links,

you shouldn't be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked.

APPLAUSE

As gay communities around the world unite,

thousands attend a vigil in London's Soho.

And, love will prevail.

A video message from the gay community in Orlando

to the rest of the world.

Do not let fear take away your life.

Educate, be involved.

Love will always win.

49 dead, 53 injured.

The worst mass shooting in America's history unfolded in three hours

of hell at the Pulse nightclub here in Orlando, Florida.

President Obama described the attack at a gay nightclub as

an attack on all Americans.

The gunman, Omar Mateen, dialled 911 from the bathroom

of the club during the shootings to pledge allegiance

to the so-called Islamic State group.

But it later emerged that he may have visited the club

several times before.

Gabriel Gatehouse has this report on how the tragedy unfolded.

And I should warn you, there may be some disturbing images

in his report.

MUSIC

It's Latino night at Pulse, a buzzing gay nightclub

in downtown Orlando.

By closing time, the dance floor is nearly full.

At 2:02am, Omar Mateen goes inside and start

shooting into the crowd.

An off-duty police officer, working at the nightclub,

exchanges fire with the gunman.

Eddie Justice texts his mother from inside a bathroom in the club.

"Mummy, I love you."

"In club, they're shooting."

At 2:09am, the club posts on its Facebook page,

"Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running".

Josean Garcia, a former DJ at the club, is out

with a group of nine friends, including Amanda and Mercedes.

We heard the gunshots, and once we noticed it was real,

everybody ducked to the floor.

It was right next to me.

I had blood all over my arms.

And it was actually from him.

And the shooting just continued, it just continued.

It just didn't stop.

And as soon as it stopped and I kind of heard him like reloading,

I got up and ran to one of the back doors.

Amanda records a final video on Snapchat.

GUNFIRE

She and her best friend Mercedes are later confirmed dead.

Now Omar Mateen, armed with an assault rifle and a handgun,

begins to take hostages.

He calls 911, pledging allegiance to Islamic State,

and makes reference to the Boston Marathon bombs.

2:39am - still inside the bathroom, Eddie Justice sends another

message to his mother.

"He's coming, I'm going to die."

He too has since been confirmed as one of the dead.

At 5:05am, police and SWAT team members decide to move in.

They force their way into the club with explosives and a battering ram.

11 officers exchange gunfire with the shooter.

30 hostages are rescued.

5:48am - Orlando Police tweet, "We can confirm this is a mass

casualty situation."

At 5:53am, police confirmed the shooter,

Omar Mateen, is dead.

7am - as the authorities begin to search for answers,

investigators inside the club hear victims' mobile phones

ringing as family members, desperate for news,

try to contact them.

Police say suspicious devices were found

on the gunman and in his car.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent In Charge,

Danny Banks, calls the shooting "an act of terrorism."

Any time that we have potentially dozens of victims in any

of our communities, then I think we can qualify that

as a terrorist activity.

At 10:30am, law enforcement officials confirmed that 50 people,

including the shooter, are dead.

And 53 others are injured.

As America mourns, Orlando adds its name to an ever-growing list.

San Bernardino, Charleston, Sandy Hook, Fort Hood,

Virginia Tech, Columbine, and many more.

But the murder unleashed at the Pulse nightclub sets itself

apart in scale and in context.

Whilst family and friends of those killed try to come to terms

with their personal loss, the deadliest shooting in this

country's modern history has set off an explosive charge right along

America's most divisive political fault lines.

Well, you heard from some of the victims of this attack

in Gabriel Gatehouse's report.

But one of the most dramatic accounts came from Angel Colon.

He was shot several times, but he survived by playing dead

while the gunman shot at people lying on the floor.

Here is our North America Editor Jon Sopel with his story.

APPLAUSE

Stories of horror and survival don't come much more

vivid than this.

At a hospital news conference, Angel Colon, who was shot three

times in the leg, was applauded from his wheelchair as he spoke

about the nightmare that unfolded in the Pulse nightclub.

Everyone started running everywhere.

I got trampled over.

And...

And I shattered and broke my bones in my left leg.

So by this time I couldn't walk at all, all I could do is just lay

down there while everyone was just running on top of me, trying to get

to where they had to be.

And all I could hear was the shotgun.

One after another.

People screaming, people yelling for help.

He's shooting everyone that's already dead on the floor,

making sure they're dead.

I was able to peek over, and I could just see him

shooting at everyone.

And I can hear the shotgun closer, and I looked over and he shoots

the girl next to me.

And I'm just there, laying down, I'm thinking, I'm next, I'm dead.

So I don't know how, but he shoots towards my head

but it hits my hand, and then he shoots me again

and he hits this side of my hip.

I had no reaction, I was just prepared to just stay there,

laying down, so that he won't know that I'm alive.

The hospital, two blocks away from the nightclub,

had recently gone through a mass shooting incident rehearsal.

Now it was reality.

We're used to seeing gunshot wounds, we're used to seeing a multitude

of injuries each and every night.

But this was somewhat of a surreal experience.

You know, we were just given patient after patient after patient.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting at the Pulse

nightclub, a lot of people asked, why here?

Why Orlando, when there are so many other bigger, better-known clubs

closer to where Omar Mateen lived?

But now it has emerged that he was a regular patron here,

and was using a gay dating app.

In his first contact with me, he was saying, asking

like what club, in his words, what clubs are popping,

things of that sort, what good places are to go.

But I remember telling him, oh, you can just look at that

online, I don't go out too much.

He used to come in the bar, on a weekend sometimes

he would be there.

Sometimes he would miss a couple of weeks and then come back again.

He was a regular, we consider that regular.

Irrespective of the motive, nothing changes the maths.

49 people dead, and many others with life-affecting injuries.

Jon Sopel, BBC News, Orlando.

Well, we heard some theories there about the motives

behind this attack.

But what more do we know about the killer,

29-year-old Omar Mateen?

The FBI investigated him before the shootings, but could find no

terrorist connections.

His father has said had he known what his son planned to do

he would have told the police.

Our correspondent Aleem Maqbool has travelled to Omar Mateen's

hometown of Fort Pierce, where he sent this report.

As more families are told their loved ones

died in the attacks, new details are emerging

about the man who killed them.

Omar Mateen, whose father saw him just hours before

the bloodshed began.

My son, what he did was...

It was totally, totally wrong.

Even though he is my son, I have to admit, this

is a terrorist act.

I mean, it is terrorising the whole people.

And I don't forgive him.

Daniel Gilroy worked alongside him for about a year

as a security guard.

He says Mateen ranted about gay people, black

people, Jews and women.

The anger and rage that he had towards people was amazing.

There was a frustration.

He hated people.

And he didn't like life.

And he blamed all his problems on these classes of people.

Do you feel confident that you did everything you could?

No.

I feel responsible, guilty.

Omar Mateen's ex-wife says she feared for her life.

I saw that he was bipolar and he would get mad out of nowhere.

That's when I started worrying about my safety.

Then after a few months he started abusing me physically.

Very often.

And not allowing me to speak to my family, keeping

me hostage from them.

Omar Mateen lived here.

His father says he didn't see this coming.

But his son was investigated by the FBI twice -

once because of suspected associations with a suicide bomber,

and once because people he worked with were alarmed with his rhetoric.

Both times the FBI drop those investigations.

Was your son getting any help with mental health problems?

I didn't see no sign...

No sign?

No sign.

He was working, he was on time, he didn't miss, he didn't do nothing

as far as violence goes.

His wife was happy, the kid was happy.

There are many under the spotlight.

But ultimately it was one man with two weapons and a twisted

outlook on life that plunged so many families into despair.

Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, Fort Pierce, Florida.

This attack has reignited the debate over America's gun laws,

with some arguing for radical change to stop disturbed individuals

or terrorist organisations getting their hands

on powerful weapons.

Nick Bryant reports on Washington's reaction and the political

aftermath of this attack.

# Oh say can you see...

They sang the national anthem outside the White House.

But in modern-day America, traumatic events like the massacre

in Orlando tend to expose the country's divisions as much

as bringing it together.

That is especially so in election season, when the fight to occupy

this building has become so bitter and so angry.

Declaring that political correctness was crippling America,

Donald Trump complained the immigration system is broken,

and re-doubled his demand for a ban on Muslims

entering the country.

When I'm elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world

where there is a proven history of terrorism against

the United States, Europe or our allies, until we fully

understand how to end these threats.

APPLAUSE

Hillary Clinton said identifying lone wolves should be

a top national priority, and she called for new gun controls,

preventing those on terror watch-lists from buying

the weapons of war.

If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links,

you shouldn't be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked.

APPLAUSE

As the political debate raged, the quiet,

practical work at this mosque in Virginia of persuading

young Muslims against following a violent path.

Unlike Britain, America has no national

counter-radicalisation programme.

Community leaders who have launched their own initiatives are calling

for a more comprehensive approach.

We are all sharing in this challenge together.

And the government as well as the communities need to partner

together to counter radicalisation of all types, because there

is a common thread of mental health, social issues, political issues,

technological issues that need to be addressed in a comprehensive way.

In this American tragedy, various national

fault lines collide.

The perennial question of gun control, gay rights, immigration,

how to protect America, and how to preserve American values.

Orlando has become the bloody backdrop for another,

more divisive battle for the White House.

Nick Bryant, BBC News, Washington.

The attack at the Pulse nightclub here in Orlando was clearly

an act of terrorism.

But it was also a hate crime, perpetrated against Florida's gay

community.

Clive Myrie has been speaking to two Florida residents

about their responses to the tragedy.

They are a staple of suburban America - the stars and stripes.

Shorthand for certain values, a lover of country.

In Orlando this week, you'll also see this...

And this...

And they symbolise a love of country, too.

Billy Wilks has lived here for 28 years, and is proud to be gay.

I had an American flag out, and I changed it and put that up

the minute I heard about it.

Why?

It just made me feel good.

It made me feel like I was paying respect to those

who did lose their lives.

It's in this painful moment that those who are LGBT can reflect

on how far they've come.

The killer, Omar Mateen, brought carnage here

because he hated society's embrace of the community.

But some are now questioning God's acceptance.

Reverend Terri Steed Pierce has been out for nearly 30 years.

I will continue to tell those people who come and question that

God is here with us, and wants better for us.

The killer tried to do that, you think, he tried to force

you back into the closet?

He was trying to force us back into a closet

that was never meant for us.

And we will stand tall and we will stand proud.

We can't be afraid.

As a city mourns, President Obama says the attack on the gay nightclub

was an attack on all Americans.

The outpouring of horror and grief nationwide is testament to that.

The outpouring of horror and grief that was felt in gay

communities around the world.

In Soho, the heart of London's gay nightlife, thousands packed

into Old Compton Street, itself the victim of a homophobic

attack in 1999.

The crowd held a two-minute silence.

Our reporter James Longman went to join them.

Silence in Soho.

A moment for London to remember Orlando's dead.

APPLAUSE

So, a silence ending now with a spontaneous

round of applause, as multicoloured balloons rise into

the air over London.

Similar vigils were marked all over the world.

But here, Orlando's victims were honoured in a place hatred

has struck before.

Three people died in a homophobic nail bomb attack in 1999

at the Admiral Duncan.

A fitting place to think of those killed at the weekend.

People who are not gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender realise

the mental gymnastics that you do walking anywhere.

What's going to happen if I hold this guy's hand or kiss this guy?

Can you maybe explain a little bit about why gay venues, LGBT venues,

are important for people to be able to go to, historically?

Well, I think they are a safe space.

And I think it's really sad that, you know, we can't actually go

to these places and not feel safe.

That is what is happening in America now.

And will you all be going to Pride this year?

Yes.

Yes, I will do.

Were you always going to be going, or have you felt even more...

No, not before, but I will now.

This again is making it more obvious, more clear that, yes,

we have won a lot of the battles in the UK and in Europe,

but this is not over.

Going into a queer space, going into a gay club, yes,

it is about having a good time and being with all your friends,

but it's also about a safe space.

It's about a place of sanctuary.

I've been going to gay clubs for 18 years or more.

Probably for more than I should be.

And I went there for fun and debauchery.

But I found my community and my friends and a place where I'm

not worried to go to the toilets on my own because nobody

is going to try and do anything.

This is a sacred space for us.

So we are mourning the loss of the people that we love,

whether we knew them or not.

But we are also mourning the loss of our sanctuary.

James Longman, BBC News.

Four days after the attack, President Obama came here to Orlando

to offer his condolences to the families of the 49 victims.

The US President reiterated his call for stricter gun laws,

as our correspondent Aleem Maqbool reports.

There are too many more sombre days this city will have to get through.

But the first of those killed in the attack here has

now been laid to rest.

Kimberly Morris worked as a bouncer at the Pulse nightclub.

She had only recently moved to Florida to help take care

of her mother and grandmother.

Well, the stories of each one of the 49 victims of the attack have

now been widely written about.

And for each family burying their dead in the coming days,

there has been a huge outpouring of support from people moved

by the tragedy across America.

President Obama has been visiting Orlando to show his support.

In private, he has met some of those affected by the horrific attack,

details of which are still emerging.

This has been true too many times before.

I held and hugged grieving family members and parents, and they asked,

why does this keep happening?

And they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage.

And so I ask you all this question...

In response to the attack, Democrat Chris Murphy addressed

the Senate on gun control.

And ask yourself, what can you do to make sure that Orlando

or Sandy Hook never, ever happens again?

He and other Democratic senators talked for nearly 15 hours until it

appears Republicans agreed to hold votes on new measures.

While such steps come too late for those who have suffered here,

many have expressed hope that at least something good comes

out of their misery.

Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, Orlando, Florida.

What is the one piece of advice the LGBT community has for young

viewers around the world who may have watched this tragedy unfold?

We compiled this video message from them to people,

young and old, in America and beyond, about facing adversity.

Dear LGBT youth...

Dear LGBT youth...

You may have seen the tragedy that occurred here in Orlando...

But we wanted to say...

Don't be scared.

Who you are is important for the future.

I love you.

Do not let fear take away your life.

Educate, be involved.

Love will always win.

Don't let a man, with or without a gun, stop you ever

from being fierce.

I must not fear.

Fear is the mind killer.

Don't let the act of hate define who you are and who we are.

We are one, and love will always win.

Be strong, be proud, and most importantly, be you.

Never deny who you are.

You're made of star stuff.

Love is love.

No one can take away who you truly are.

Have faith in yourself and have faith in love.

Love is a powerful thing.

And at the end of the day, love will always prevail.

Love will always prevail.

That is a poignant message from the LGBT

community here in Florida.

Well, that is it for this special edition of Reporters.

We will leave you with some images of Orlando, and around the world,

as America mourns its worst mass shooting in recent US history.

From me, Laura Bicker, and the team here in Orlando, Florida, goodbye.

# Oh say can you see

# By the dawn's early light

# What so proudly we hailed

# At the twilight's last gleaming

# Whose broad stripes and bright stars

# Through the perilous fight

# Whose broad stripes and bright stars

# Through the perilous fight.