Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch visits Orlando after deadly attack
U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch meets with U.S. Atty. Lee Bentley at the Orlando FBI office for a briefing on the Pulse nightclub mass shooting.
Reporting from Orlando, Fla. — Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch met with victims’ families in Orlando on Tuesday, and spoke against hatred and intolerance nine days after what she called a “shattering attack†at a gay nightclub.
“The message of Orlando that I have seen today — and what the American people have seen in the wake of this horrific assault — is a message of determination to remove hatred and intolerance from our midst,†Lynch told reporters.
She specifically offered a call of support “to our LGBT friends and family†who might be worried that their identities have made them a target: “This Department of Justice — and your country — stands with you in the light.â€
Lynch announced a $1-million emergency grant to help Florida law enforcement pay for overtime costs related to the shooting.
She largely avoided answering specific questions about the investigation, including whether any of the victims had died from friendly fire when SWAT officers engaged gunman Omar Mateen in a shootout.
“We don’t have the answer,†she said, adding that the attack was still being reconstructed.“We don’t know the trajectory of all the bullets.â€
Lynch’s visit came as federal investigators continue to dig into Mateen’s background. The gunman’s June 12 rampage at Pulse nightclub left 49 dead and dozens injured. Sixteen remain hospitalized, with four in critical condition.
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Federal officials on Monday released the transcript of a phone conversation Mateen, 29, had with an emergency dispatcher from inside the club during the attack, in which he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Baghdadi, head of the militant group Islamic State.
“I’m in Orlando, and I did the shootings,†Mateen told the dispatcher at about 2:35 a.m., roughly half an hour after shooting his way into the club.
During three follow-up phone conversations with Orlando police negotiators, the FBI said, Mateen threatened to use explosives — although none were found — and told police to tell Americans to stop bombing Syria and Iraq.
“While the killer made these murderous statements, he did so in a chilling, calm and deliberate manner,†said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ronald Hopper.
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After firing an initial hail of bullets, Mateen holed up inside a bathroom with hostages and the drama stretched on for three hours until police barreled into the building with a tactical vehicle and SWAT officers shot and killed the gunman. A timeline released by the FBI Monday showed that emergency officials were inside the club during that time rescuing victims.
Both Lynch and the FBI took sharp criticism from Republicans on Monday after initially releasing a partially redacted version of the 911 transcript, which didn’t identify the gunman, Baghdadi or Islamic State by name.
Federal officials initially defended the decision, saying it was meant to withhold publicity from extremists, but reversed course later Monday, acknowledging that much of the withheld material had already been reported and saying the redactions had created “an unnecessary distraction.â€
Lynch said she was open to releasing audio of the 911 tape, although she didn’t give a specific date for when that might happen.
As the investigation continued Tuesday – a process the FBI said could take years – Orlando began to return to some normalcy. The blocked-off section of Orange Avenue near Pulse finally reopened to traffic.
For Aracely Carmona, funeral director at Funeraria San Juan in nearby Kissimmee, Fla., Tuesday marked the coda to the hardest week of her professional life. She helped coordinate services for five victims of the attack, including a Tuesday mass for victim Mercedez Flores.
“We’re the last responders,†she said.
Almost as soon as word spread of the June 12 mass shooting, Carmona – who like many of the victims is Puerto Rican – started getting phone calls from people on the island, a U.S. commonwealth.
They pleaded with her in Spanish through tears, wondering how they would know if their loved one was gone.
Before long, families started getting the news and showing up at the funeral home. Carmona recalled holding a mother’s hands as the woman stared into her son’s casket, his body torn by bullets.
In some cases, she encouraged the families to have closed-casket viewings – the wounds, she said, were too gruesome.
MORE ON ORLANDO NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING
Inside Pulse: A timeline of the night emerges
Orlando gunman called for the U.S. to ‘stop bombing Syria and Iraq’
Orlando vigil and church services urge unity after a week of death and fear
Times staff writer Matt Pearce in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
UPDATES:
3:43 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Lynch and a funeral home director.
12:36 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Lynch’s visit.
This article was originally published at 8:39 a.m.
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