Orlando Shooter Reportedly Used Gay Dating App Visited Pulse

According to the Palm Beach Post A former classmate of Omar Mateen’s 2006 police academy class said he believed Mateen was gay, saying Mateen once asked him out.

Authorities say Mateen shot and killed 49 people and injured 53 others at the Orlando Florida night club The Pulse early Sunday morning.

“We went to a few gay bars with him, and I was not out at the time, so I declined his offer,” the former classmate said. He asked that his name not be used.

He believed Mateen was gay, but not open about it. Mateen was awkward, and for a while the classmate and the rest in the group of friends felt sorry for him.

“He just wanted to fit in and no one liked him,” he said. “He was always socially awkward.”

Meanwhile, several people claim Mateen attended the Pulse nightclub. The Los Angeles Times reported that he attended the club possibly as many as a dozen times before the massacre.

Kevin West, a regular at Pulse nightclub, said Omar Mateen messaged him on and off for a year before the shooting using the gay chat and dating app Jack’d.

But they never met – until early Sunday morning.

West was dropping off a friend at the club when he noticed Mateen – whom he knew by sight but not by name – crossing the street wearing a dark cap and carrying a black cellphone about 1 a.m., an hour before the shooting.

“He walked directly past me. I said, ‘Hey,’ and he turned and said, ‘Hey,’” and nodded his head, West said. “I could tell by the eyes.”

And the Orlando Sentinel reported that at least four regular customers of Pulse had seen Matten there before.

“Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and belligerent,” Ty Smith said. “We didn’t really talk to him a lot, but I remember him saying things about his dad at times,” he said. “He told us he had a wife and child.”

Also, Mateen’s wife, Noor Zahi Salman, is not cooperating with authorities, according to a law enforcement official who wished to remain anonymous. Investigators want to ask if she knew about his plans in advance or helped scout targets.

The City of Orlando website it compiling a list of the shooters victims as they are identified, and the next of kin are notified. Click for the continually updated list.

UPDATE: Also, Anderson cooper read a list of all 49 victims, and it was quite moving. He had to work hard not to break down.

Also, USA Today has a list of the victims, with photos and biographies HERE.

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