The FBI special agent in charge of the Pulse nightclub shooting made an urgent plea Wednesday, asking anyone who has had any contact whatsoever with the shooter to come forward.
Law enforcement continues to build a profile of Omar Mateen, retracing his steps right before the massacre that killed 49 people early Sunday morning.
The FBI described a very active crime scene three days later, where forensic experts are mapping out what happened inside the club.
There are still many questions about the shooter’s wife, Noor Mateen. ABC News reports she knew he was planning an attack and even dropped him off at the club on previous occasions.
The FBI wouldn’t say if it was close to filing charges because it would “hamper the investigation.”
Meanwhile, during all of this, officers are dealing with another distraction: reporters of threats against members in the Muslim community.
“Making these threats is not only wrong, in most cases, making these threats is illegal. Stop it. We want to spend 100 percent of our time investigating the crime that occurred at the Pulse nightclub and the facts leading up to it,” said Lee Brantley, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
Reporters asked several questions about whether the shooter was coping out other targets, including places at Disney World.
The FBI didn’t give a direct answer, only to say the Pulse nightclub was the intended target.
According to ATF, Mateen used a .223 caliber Sig Sauer MCX, which is an assault rifle, and a semiautomatic 9mm handgun.
He killed 49 people and injured more than 50 others. As of Wednesday, the Orlando Regional Medical Center reported they performed 44 surgeries since Sunday.
Six are still in critical condition.
Wednesday, the Orlando Chief of Police, John Mina, revealed that 300 officers have received stress counseling in the last two days.
“They stood toe to toe and face to face with a mass murderer and performed heroically and I’m extremely, extremely proud of them,” he said.
