The link below has a complete story about the shooter, including video of the gunfight, but here are cliffs:
1. He pledged allegiance to ISIS, the so-called Islamic State, before the shooting, according to Congressman Adam Schiff, D-California.
Mateen, 29, is a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent from Port St. Lucie, Florida, according to CBS News. He has ties to radical Islamic ideology, CBS reports. His name was confirmed by Congressman Alan Grayson at a press conference.
2. Omar Mateen called 911 just before the shooting and pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, NBC News reports.
He also mentioned the Tsarnaev brothers, who carried out the Boston Marathon bombing, during the call, CBS News reports.
ISIS issued a statement calling Mateen an “Islamic state fighter.”
3. CNN reports that Mateen was a known ISIS sympathizer.
The shooting happened during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time during ISIS has instructed its supporters to carry out terror attacks around the world, according to CNN.
A speech on May 21 by ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani, “That They Live By Proof,” called for attacks in the West.
4. The gunman was engaged in a shootout with police outside the night club at about 2 a.m., police said at a press conference. Mateen then entered the night club and took hostages.
“The officer engaged in a gun battle with that suspect. The suspect at some point went back inside the club and more shots were fired. This did turn into a hostage situation,” Orlando Police Chief John Mina said at a press conference.
Omar Mateen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com