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The city of Orlando is in a state of emergency after a gunman opened fire in a gay nightclub early Saturday morning, killing about 50 people and injuring at least 53 more, CNN reported.
The massacre, which began at about 2 a.m. inside Pulse, is being called the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, CNN said.
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The shooter has been identified as Omar Saddiqui Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Fla., law enforcement officials told CNN. Orlando Police Chief John Mina told the news agency that police shot and killed Mateen.
"It appears he was organized and well-prepared," Mina told CNN, adding that the gunman had an assault-type weapon, a handgun and "some type of (other) device on him."
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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told CNN that he had declared a state of emergency for the city and has asked Florida Gov. Rick Scott to declare the same for the state.
Authorities are calling the massacre an act of domestic terror, CNN reported. They are also considering that the attack could have been a hate crime.
Ron Hopper, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Orlando bureau, told CNN that investigators "have suggestions the individual has leanings towards (Islamic terrorism), but right now we can't say definitely."
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