First 911 Calls From Inside Pulse Nightclub Released

The first 911 calls from inside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub during Omar Mateen’s June 12 killing of 49 innocent people have been released. At about 2 a.m., one man whispered to the dispatcher that he was hiding. The dispatcher told him not to go anywhere. “No,” the caller said. “He’s gonna kill us.” Twenty-one calls were released Wednesday, revealing the fear, panic, and confusion. Twenty other 911 calls have previously been released but did not include voices of people speaking from inside the club. Lawyers for the city of Orlando have delayed or fought the release of many calls, and redacted some information, citing a law that exempts calls when the killing of a person is depicted. Orlando is also fighting the release of about 28 minutes of a conversation between Mateen and a crisis-negotiating team. He spoke to them three times between 2:48 a.m. and 3:24 a.m after he barricaded himself with hostages.