Orlando gunman died crawling from bullet-ridden toilet wall in final moments of massacre
New details of the devastating Orlando shooting reveal that, three hours after the first shots were fired, gunman Omar Mateen was shot dead by police as he crawled from the nightclub toilet through a hole made for victims to escape.
Police detailed the final hours of the standoff as 29-year-old Mateen took over Pulse nightclub, a popular gay bar in Orlando, Florida.
They revealed that Mateen, Muslim American of Afghan descent, carried an AR-15 rifle and a handgun in the club and made his way to the main room around 2am.
Although last call had passed, the dance floor was still full and music played loudly for the venue’s Latin night.
Witness Jon Alamo said Mateen wasn’t aiming anywhere in particular, but sweeping his gun side-to-side as he let off round after round of gunfire.
City of Orlando Chief of Police John Mina said officers followed Mateen into the club shortly after the first shots started.
“At this time we were able to rescue dozens and dozens of people,” Mina said
When police returned fire, Mateen fled into one of the club’s three bathrooms where held a small group of five or six people hostage.
A three-hour standoff ensued, and in that time Mateen made contact with police dispatchers several times.
Mateen called 911 twice around 2:30am but hung up the phone both times.
“The dispatcher called him back and they spoke briefly,” FBI Director James Comey said in a statement.
“During the calls he said he was doing this for the leader of ISIS, who he named, and pledged loyalty to.”
In a second bathroom, as many as 20 people were taking shelter from Mateen.
At 5am, a heavily armoured police vehicle smashed through the wall of the second bathroom in a move that saved “many, many lives”, according to Mina.
Terrified survivors climbed through the hole to safety, and at 5:05am, three hours after the attacks began, Mateen emerged.
He opened fire on police through the hole in the wall but was quickly shot dead, becoming the 50th and last person to die.
In a public address on Monday, US President Barack Obama said there was “no clear evidence” Mateen was instructed by a terrorist organisation to carry out the massacre.
“It appears that the shooter was inspired by various extremist information that was disseminated over the internet," Mr Obama said.
"At this stage we see no clear evidence that he was directed externally. It does appear that at the last minute he announced allegiance to ISIL, but there's no evidence so far that he was, in fact, directed by ISIL."
Heart-breaking tributes to the victims of the shooting took over social media sites after the names of the deceased were confirmed.
The FBI had previously investigated Mateen in 2013 after he made threatening comments to co-workers. After two interviews, the case was dropped.
In 2014, officials found he was loosely connected to a suicide bomber, but determined the ties were minimal and deemed to be non-threatening.
It has been revealed Mateen purchased the firearms last week, reigniting the debate on America's controversial gun laws.
43 injured survivors still remain in hospital, five of which are in a critical condition.
