Orlando Shooting Latest: Grand Jury, 25 Hospitalized, FBI Needs Tips

By SHERRI LONON (Patch Staff)

Orlando, FL — Omar Mateen’s wife may face criminal charges related to the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Federal authorities reportedly convened a grand jury Wednesday.

Noor Zahi Salman has been under heavy federal scrutiny after authorities learned she may have had advanced knowledge of Sunday’s attack.

Authorities say Salman is cooperating, but that isn’t stopping the probe of any possible wrongdoing on her part, several media outlets have reported.

“She is definitely, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information,” U.S. Sen. Angus King was quoted by Reuters as saying.

U.S. Attorney Lee Bentley said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference it was too early to tell if any charges will be levied in the shooting.

“It would be premature to do so,” Bentley said. He did promise, “the facts will be made known to the public” at the right time.

Mateen walked into the Pulse Orlando Night Club & Ultra Bar on Sunday around 2 a.m. and began firing on the crowd. Before he was shot and killed by police, Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.

The attack has been classified as an act of terror by the federal government. In comments Tuesday, President Obama called Mateen, 29, an "angry, unstable man who became radicalized," but he said there was no evidence a foreign terrorist group was involved.

Salman, 30, is the mother of Mateen’s 3-year-old son. She reportedly drove Mateen to Pulse prior to the attack, which some believe may have been a casing mission, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

As the grand jury probes Salman’s actions, the FBI is trying to gain a clearer picture of Mateen’s movements in the past. Special Agent Ron Hooper asked anyone who had contact with Mateen in the past to come forward.
More from Across Patch

“We want to hear from any member of the public who has had any connection of involvement to the shooter, no matter how big or small” to come forward, he said.

Tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

“You have our assurance that tips will be confidential,” Hooper said.

See also:

• Disney Donates $1 Million To OneOrlando Fund
• Ben Franklin Bridge To Join Structures Around The World To Support Orlando

Donations of cash and resources has been pouring into Orlando to support the survivors and the families of victims. Mayor Buddy Dyer announced Wednesday afternoon that $3.6 million had been raised for the OneOrlando fund. That includes a $1 million donation from Disney.

More than $4.4 million has been raised by Equality Florida through a GoFundMe campaign, including a donation by GoFundMe that waives service fees.

Structures around the world have embraced the rainbow flag as a symbol of unity with the LGBT victims in Orlando, including the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia.

In Washington, D.C., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., began a filibuster Wednesday, the latest push for gun reform by frustrated Democrats. An assault rifle similar to the one used in the nightclub killing was used in killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, as well as in several high-profile mass shootings since then.

The Democrats are calling for two primary legislative measures: universal background checks, or closing the “gun show loophole,” and the prevention of suspected terrorists from buying firearms.

"I'm going to remain on this floor until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together on these two measures, that we can get a path forward on addressing this epidemic in a meaningful bipartisan way," Murphy said.

See also:

• Sen. Murphy Vows Filibuster Until Gun Violence Addressed
• Kicked Out of Brooklyn Gay Bar, Man Threatens to 'Come Back Orlando Style'

Twenty-five victims remained hospitalized at Orlando Regional Medical Center, the hospital reported on Twitter Wednesday. Since Sunday, the trauma center has treated 44 victims of the attack. Nine died and 10 have been discharged, the hospital said. Surgeons have performed 44 operations on victims since the attack.

Dr. Kathryn Bondani described Sunday morning’s chaos at the Orlando hospital during a Tuesday press conference.

It was around 2 a.m. on Sunday when the hospital received notice of gunshot victims coming in. At first a few patients trickled in and then it was five. Before long, they “started lining up in the hallway,” Bondani said. “They were being dropped off in truckloads and ambulance loads.”

Before long the trauma bay was full to capacity, and phone calls started going out for additional support.

“In a matter of 30 minutes, we had multiple surgeons coming through the doors to help us out,” Bondani said.

Law enforcement is increasing its visibility in Orlando and other metropolitan areas around bars and other locations known to draw an LGBT crowd. Some gay clubs are considering increasing security in the aftermath of the shooting, including Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood, Calif.

"It’s something we’re looking at moving forward,” Abbey spokesman Brian Rosman told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re going to talk more with the sheriff and City Hall to figure out the appropriate safety precautions.”

At a vigil Monday in Galveston, Texas, a participant was injured when someone in a truck drove by the site and threw a beer bottle, striking the victim in the foot.

A patron kicked out of a Bushwick, N.Y., gay bar Monday night allegedly shouted gay slurs and threatened to "come back Orlando style." He was charged with assault, aggravated harassment based on race or religion and criminal possession of a weapon, according to a police spokeswoman.

In Atlanta, local and federal authorities are interviewing a man who allegedly made threats toward two local gay bars. A rainbow Pride flag was stolen from the front of a New York church following a vigil Tuesday night. Church leaders suspect vandals.

See also:

• Person Identified Who Allegedly Threatened Gay Atlanta Bars
• Orlando Shooting Aftermath: Popular WeHo Bar Considers Having Armed Guards

Photo courtesy of the Orlando Police Department