Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Carol Costello 20160613

Of those inside the can club. Right now fewer than half of the names that have been killed have been released by authorities. Still a lot of families desperate for information. We got clarity from officials about those three hours between 2 00 am when the shots first start ringing out to 5 00 am when officials went into the club and took the shooter out. Before that 5 00 am entrance into the club they previously had attempted to go inside. They exchanged shots with the shooter. And he retreated into a bathroom. They paused, because he mentioned some kind of explosive device. Youll remember all day yesterday, atf officials were on the scene, scanning for potential explosives. He had something that resembled a device on him, is what officials told us. That kind of gave them pause. Closer to 5 00 am, we were out here on the scene and heard a huge explosion. It turned out to be a distractionry device set off by officials in order to distract the shooter. And thats when they went in, with an Armored Vehicle into a bathroom where he was hiding. Officials gave us a taste of the way they described it. Here is that sound. We used our Armored Vehicle, bearcat Armored Vehicle to punch a hole in that wall, defeat the wall. Theres a hole in the wall about two feet off the ground and about two, three feet wide. We were able to rescue dozens and dozens of people that came out of that hole. The suspect came out of that hole himself, armed with a handgun and a long gun, engaged in a gun battle with officers where he was ultimately killed. So, obviously, theres still a lot of families awaiting details to find out what they fear most, that their loved ones may be gone. We also heard from officials that this is an extremely diverse place. Orlando is home to a huge puerto rican population. 20 of 24 people identified so far are latino. When we get the full list of those that were inside the club that were killed, we expect there will be a lot of latinos on it as well. Erin . Thank you so much, boris. New information is just coming in. This is a developing story. Lets get to evan perez. What do you know right now . Erin, were learning what investigators have learned, that in recent weeks the shooter, mateen, attempted to buy militarygrade body armor, body armor thats even higher level than what ordinary Police Departments supply to their officers, the of body armor that would allow him to survive prolonged shootout with Police Officers. This indicates to investigators a couple of things, including that perhaps he has been planning this attack for weeks, perhaps much longer than that. This wasnt something he woke up saturday morning and decided he wanted to carry out this attack on this gay nightclub in orlando. It also indicates that he had no intention to commit suicide. This is something he wanted to do and prolong this gunfight with Police Officers. Erin . Evan, its pretty stunning here. Obviously, a big part of the question about all of this has been how long he planned t as youre reporting now, this means at least it was weeks. The family saying it was just perhaps it does but maybe not. They were saying in the past week or so, two gay men were kissing. They say thats what may have set him off. Youre saying this particular plan could have gone back before tha that. Exactly. Thats what investigators are look at. The store where he went to buy the body armor declined to sell it to him. Its unclear why. He had the license and was capable of buying the two weapons found at the scene. Its unclear why he was denied this purchase for level three body armor. It goes back to the statements made by the family, which is that he saw two men kissing in miami in bayside, miami, and that is what drove him to do this. It certainly, perhaps, adds more information f investigators to look at. Erin . Thank you very much, evan. I want to get to carol now. Carol . Thank you very much. Over my shoulder, you can see Police Activity there. Thats the nightclub, pulse. Investigators are on the scene, trying to putt piece together what happened. The crime scene well, lets just say it is very difficult. Investigators are trying to figure out exactly why this gunman ran on the shooting rampage at this particular club. Now painting a chilling picture of a man with two very different personalities. People who lived nearby the shooter say he was a quiet man. Shooters exwife say he was abusive and unstable. The shooters father said he didnt see any warning signs. Liste listen. He was a very respectful person. He was respected by his family, immediate family, especially, the parent. He was on time on his work. He never slack off his work. He was on time. We provided really a lot of love and care for him. He was well behaved. Appearance was perfect. I didnt see any sign of worrying, being upset or nervou nervous. Lets bring in cnns palo sa sandoval. Reporter so many investigative leads have led investigators here to florida, twohour drive south of orlando. People living in the actual complex where the gunman lived are still in a state of disbelief, the complex you see over my left shoulder. Parking lots that are typically used for the residents empty right now. This morning is the first time it was actually opened by authorities. Scene essentially released by authorities. Were beginning to see people return home slowly, but steadily. They are still in a state of disbelief. One gentleman coming home for the first time the last 24 hours explained, really, the extent very limited extent of his interaction with the gunman. Take a listen. Very quiet. Kept to himself. Normally everybody says good morning. Never said anything. Kept to himself. He looked like the normal joe. He wasnt, obviously. You never know who your neighbor is, bottom line. Again, we are here in ft. Pierce, florida, place where the gunman lived, place where he worked. According to my conversation with one of the local spiritual leaders, worshipped as recent as friday. Something fairly significant here. There was a car parked a couple of parking spots to where were standing right now. Looking in the window, youre actually able to make out what appears to be federal search warrant with the gunmans name on there. Were trying to figure out what exactly could be behind that. As you look through that search warrant youll find crucial evidence was collected here just yesterday from the interior of that car, including dna samples, vacuum samples. While that is fairly standard of any federal investigation, this is significant as just this morning we heard from federal prosecutors in orlando saying they are looking into the possibility that there could have been other individuals involved in at least the planning process. This is a clear indication that investigators are trying to look at all avenues here, including a vehicle that remains, really, considered evidence at this point. Especially what was removed from inside that car, carol. The main headline of the People Living in this quiet community, they still cant believe a man that they lived so close to is responsible for so much pain. Carol . We hear that same story so often. Polo sandoval, thank you. As the gunman moved inside the nightclub, those trapped inside hid wherever they could, bathrooms, dressing rooms, even underneath the bar or under the bodies of other shooting victims. Many inside the club used their phones to call for help. Nina justice got several texts from her son, eddie, just after 2 00 am. This is what the texts read. Quote, mommy, i love you. In the club. Theyre shooting. Trapped in the bathroom. Call police. Im gonna die. She texted her son back, calling them now. Are you still there . Answer your phone. Call me. Then again, call me. They texted back and forth. She told him help was on the way. Eddie texted back, still here in bathroom. He has us. Then later they need to come get us. Hurry, hes in the bathroom with us. Hes a terror. After that, he went silent. His mother waited for hours with no news of what happened to him. And then later that day, he was listed as one of the 49 people who were killed. Cnn correspondent Brynn Gingras joins us from new york. Were still learning about awful stories like this, this morning. Absolutely, carol. We are also learning about ways that family members are remembering those who were killed in this horrific incident. All but one of the victims have been identified by authorities. Theyre still trying to get in touch with family members before they can actually release the names of everyone. We know the names of about half of the people that who were killed. Let me give you a few of those names and few of those stories that were learning about them. Stanley almodovar iii, 23 years old. His mother left his dinner in the fridge that night so he would have it when he got home from the club. Then 25yearold enrique rios. A cousin wrote on facebook, my heart is heavy. We grew up together. Now he is gone. God took someone who was already an angel for so many people. Were also learning about Edward Sotomayor jr. , 34 years old. He had a nickname everybody knew him by, top hat eddie. He was a travel agent and always would wear a top hat on his head and actually friends and people who knew him paid tribute by posting that top hat emoji all over facebook. Thats how they remembered him. Also luis omar ocasiocapo, youngest of the victims, 20 years old. So many ways that people are trying to remember all these people that were killed. We have more names to show you. Were still working together and learning about these stories, these last moments of their lives. Also again, carol, as i mentioned, the tributes people are paying to them now that they are gone. Carol . All right, Brynn Gingras, thanks so much. I want to throw it back to erin, who is at one of the hospitals. Doctors are still treating victims. Erin . They are. Security at the entrance of all of these hospitals as theyre trying to protect these victims and families coming in to visit them this morning. Still to come, the killer at one point was on the fbis radar. Two investigations. A heated debate now brewing over who was to blame and whether something crucial was overlooked. Were warning signs missed . We have senator bill nelson, who joins us live next. When cigarette cravings hit, all i can think about is getting relief. Only nicorette mini has a patented fastdissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. I never know when ill need relief. Thats why i only choose nicorette mini. Mary buys a little lamb. One of millions of orders on this companys servers. Accessible by thousands of suppliers and employees globally. But with Cyber Threats on the rise, marys data could be under attack. With the help of at t, and security that senses and mitigates Cyber Threats, their Critical Data is safer than ever. Giving them the agility to be open secure. Because no one knows like at t. What are you doingetting faster. Huh . Detecting threats faster, responding faster, recovering faster. When your securitys built in not just bolted on, and you protect the data and not just the perimeter, you get faster. Wow, speed kills. Systems open to all, but closed to intruders. Trusted by 8 of 10 of the Worlds Largest banks. Later this morning, president obama is going to be getting his very latest security briefing. His update on the orlando terror attacks. He will be briefed by a number of officials. Fbi is going to be there. Fbi director james comey along with Homeland Security director. Very dark day for president obamas presidency. He addressed the country after the deadliest mass shooting in this country and the deadliest terror attack since 9 11. Although its still early in the investigation, we know enough to say this was an act of terror and an act of hate. As americans, we are united in grief, in outrage and in resolve to defend our people. This is a scene that is all too familiar to this president. He has addressed the nation following a mass shooting more than a dozen times. You heard me correctly, more than a dozen times since he has been in office. Every time he is angry, bereft and yet very little has changed. These awful Mass Shootings go on. It did prompt a Quick Response from the 2016 campaign trail. Both Hillary Clinton and donald trump took to twitter and elsewhere to condemn the attacks, with mr. Trump hitting mrs. Clinton for not using the phrase radical islam and should drop out of the race because of it. She addressed cnn this morning in an interview. It matters more what we do than what we say. I clearly have said we face terrorists who whether you say radical islam or radical terrorism, they mean the same thing. And im happy to do so. We dont need to demonize, demagogue and declare war on an entire religion. That plays right into isis hands. All right. Before we get to donald trump i want to bring in senator bill nelson, the senator from florida, who represents this district. Thank you for being here. First of all, i would like you to react to what Hillary Clinton said about terminology. Donald trump is accusing her of not calling it what it is. We cant fight it until we all know what it is. Does donald trump have a point . Well, that point is ridiculous. First of all, were at ground zero of the grieving process. This is a time for healing and unity, not a time for division. The fact that were in this political season, recognize what ultimately the fbi will conclude. It was isis inspired and it was a hate crime. It was antigay. Either one of them is terrorism. Wasnt this mentally unbalanced man who hated gay people, and he somehow justified that hatred by looking into isis and thats why he did it, or did isis inspire him and his hatred of gay people . Thats what the fbi investigation will tell us. Clearly, he was somewhat unbalanced. Why is that distinction important . Whether he was isis inspired, its the new modus operanndi. Were going to pick up those communications. So they say, okay, you go on and do it on your own. So, any crazy person that might think that this is their jih jihad and thats where its more important on everyone else, if you see something, say something. I want to talk more about what donald trump said is the solution to this problem. First of all, we have to stop people from coming in from sy a syria. Were taking them in by the thousands. Youre going to have tremendous problems. Look at the people that have come to the country and you look at and are here. And for that, we need intelligence gathering. We have to look at the mosques. We have to look at all we have to look at the community. Of course, this shooter, i just want to clarify for our viewers, the shooter was born in the United States. His parents were born in afghanistan but have been in the United States for many, many years. So, would banning all syrians or a temporary ban on muslims coming into the country have prevented this attack . Of course thats exactly the opposite of what we ought to be doing. We ought to be unifying and let that muslimamerican community, which thinks of themselves as americans, help us find the misfits. Donald trump said were letting thousands in. We have let in 2,000. Compare that to the scores and scores of thousands in europe. The rest of what we anticipate, another 8,000, will be vetted over the course of a year before they ever come in. No, the attitude that trump is expressing is constantly divide, divide. Thats not the character of the American People and thats exactly the opposite of what we need at this time. Let me go back to what Hillary Clinton said. The terminology i call it radical islam. Theres no difference from radical jihadism, right . Thats a change in the language for her. Ill ask you that. Is that a change in language for her . I dont get involved in those semantics. It is what it is. She did say it. She is running for president , so is she more receptive of it, do you think, because of what the republicans are saying . Or she doesnt really care about terminology . Its an attempt to divide, nitpick. Its radical islam inspired by isis, period. The way we have to respond is we have got to come together as americans. Another question about the shooters target. Its a nightclub, pulse. Not very well known across the country. I talk to people here in orlando who have never heard of it. So, if isis wanted to make a splash from one of its soldiers we dont know if thats true or not why pick this club . Were in orlando. There are bigger targets to pick. This fellow who apparently is operating as a lone wolf, 100 miles from here in ft. Pierce, he had obviously cased it out. 300 people are packed into a small building. It becomes a very vulnerable target. He comes late in the evening. How he got the weapons in. Then he attacks advantage of it. In your opinion, was this a plan he had in the works for a lengthy period of time and he checked out other gay clubs throughout the state of florida . We dont know the answer to that yet. He had obviously checked it out. Okay. So, you have a lot of experience of stopping these things. What is it that you can do to stop it . Well, first of all, the fbi had looked at him in 13 and 14. The case was closed. Under their operating procedures, when that is done, that is done. But now we know when he got the guns, the background check showed no criminal record and no notation. Maybe when we have an investigation, even though its closed, there ought to be a notation so that comes up on the background check when he purchases an automatic weapon. Still the fbi questioned him twice. There was a Police Report, supposedly, according to his exwife, that he beat her. And she left the marriage because of that. Yet he was a Security Guard and even before he guns that he used at pulse, he owned a gun. How is that possible . Perhaps thats where we need to change the law. Notation is made on this persons record even though he has been cleared for the purpose of purchasing a weapon. Theres another argument going on in congress right now. If you have been on some terrorist list or been checked, shouldnt you automatically go on the nofly list . And right now, you dont have to be put on the nofly list if youre on one of these terrorist watch lists. We have a lot to do. Senator bill nelson, thank you. Appreciate it. Lone attacker pledges allegiance to isis while carrying out the worst u. S. Terror attack since 9 11. Was this really motivated by radical ideology . Well delve deeper into that next. Youll be surprised it doesnt crunch. Hidden valley cucumber ranch. Just one of our delicious ranch flavors. Ive got a nice long life ahead. Big plans. So when i found out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. To me, relationships matter. Ive been with my doctor for 12 years. Now i know ill be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, youll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. Plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. So dont wait. Call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare. And which aarp Medicare Supplement plan might be best for you. Theres a wide range to choose from. We love to travel and theres so much more to see. So we found a plan that can travel with us. Anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. Good morning. Im Carol Costello. Good morning, carol. Im erin burnett. The story is so quickly developing this hour. We are learning now that the shooter tried to buy military grade body armor from a local store in recent weeks. It vuths to investigators he may have been plotting the attack longer than his family intimated when they suggested earlier that perhaps he had only been planning it for a week or two when he saw two gay men kissing. It also suggested that he wanted to survive the attack because he was buying body armor. Police revising the death toll from the attack, murdering 49 people not 50 as was first reported. His was the 50th death. All but one of the victims now identified. Their next of kin are being notified before we are able to share the names of the slain with you. The shooter died in a gunfight outside the nightclub. He actually had crawled through a hole police had made for hostages to escape. For about three hours there was a hostage situation when they broke through. They were able to climb out. He crawled through that hole. Thats when the gunfight ensued. Saudi arabia confirming to cnn that the killer briefly visited the kingdom, briefly in 2011 and 2012, also visited the united arab emirates. Those visits also this is crucial on the timeline, coming before the fbi, questioned omar mateen for possible ties to terrorism, which they did twice in 2013 and 2014 before closing those cases. Tragedy, omar mateens actions, were they inspired by isis or because he was mentally unstable . General mark hertling, also with me, peter bergen, Cnn National Security analyst and author of United States of jihad and art roderick. Welcome to all of you. Thank you so much for being here. Paul, i want to start with you. Isis is not claiming responsibility for this attack. It is praising omar mateen for being, quote, one of the c caliphate soldiers in america. What does that tell you . That isis is absolutely delighted that an attack has got through in the United States by somebody who has pledged allegiance to them and their leader. Senior leadership of isis a couple of weeks ago called for a surge in terrorism in the United States during the month of ram dan, telling their followers youll be rewarded ten times more in the afterlife if you launch terrorist attacks during ramadan. That clarion theyve put out weeks ago, they say, have been answered. They are embracing this shooter as one of their own, calling him a soldier of the caliphate. No evidence so far that this individual was communicating with isis. We have seen isis operatives use encrypted online apps to essentially groom americans for attacks in the United States. So, peter, we know that this shooter went to saudi arabia. We dont know why. We believe he went there to worship and came back, and visited saudi arabia and the uae. What should we read into that . Probably nothing. The fact is that millions of people every year go to saudi arabia, for the main pilgrimage or for a lesser pilgrimage. Possibly every muslim who can afford it does this. I wouldnt read anything into it until we know more, if theres more to be said about this. Its just so confusing. Some say its an out and out terrorist attack. Paul and peter, i know that you study this indepth. In your mind, paul, was this an isisinspired attack or was this a mentally ill person latching on to isis . You have to say at this hour it was an isisinspired attack. He had the presence of mind to actually call 911 and make it a clearly overtly political act, an act of terrorism. This wasnt just somebody in some spontaneous murderous rage. Notably chattanooga, tennessee, shooting last july an intersection between Mental Health issues and radicalization and sometimes there can be a shallower leap from radical thought to radical action. There has, indeed, been in intersection in numerous cases on both sides of the atlantic. That doesnt mean its not terroris terrorism. So, peter, Hillary Clinton on new day said she is happy to use radical islam but we have to be careful. Theres been a debate about semantics that isnt particularly useful. Clearly, this has something to do with the military reading of islam. To return to the Mental Health issue, this guy clearly you know, we have been reporting now on cnn that he went out and bought tried to buy military grade armor. This shows careful planning. You know, none of us are psychiatrists who are on the air, talking about this. I can tell you, i looked at Something Like 300 cases of terrorism in the United States and the incidence is much lower during these terrorists than it is in the general population tochlt carry out a terrorist attack or serious. Theyre very much in the minority. Now im going to get into how can you possibly stop an attack like this . Ill pose this question to you. He was previously on the fbis radar but then closed the investigation because it was inconclusive. Obviously theres no connection here. There could have been some sharing of information. They found no connection there. It was inconclusive. Obviously they had him on the lis list. Tell us what that level is. Very difficult level to come to, i can tell you. You have heard director comey talk about at least 800 active cases going on in the u. S. With individuals that do have ties to terrorism. When you take that group of 800 and you look at all the connections, youre talking thousands of people. Its almost impossible for the fbi to take a look at the thousands of people and monitor them the way they should be. Should the level be he tried to travel to syria, had direct communication to someone with isis . If they do an overt event here, the connection was never made between the weapons purchases and the fbi investigations because, you know, you have a right to bear arms. Once the regulation is clued, thats it. Its done. Perfectly legal for him to buy weapons . Exactly. Which he did. General, im going to get to you the shooters father is speaking now. What my son did, we are all my family is completely shocked. We cant believe what did he do. And i want to take this message out. I dont allow nobody to do any kind of crime or terrorist act inside the United States. And i dont allow it. My principle as a father, my principle as a u. S. Citizen, i am against i have been, throughout my life, against terrorism, against injustice, against what anyone can do against United States, especially my homeland, usa. I am sorry again. And it is very sad news today for all american and i am very, very mad. As i said, if i did know 1 that he is committing such a crime, my son, i would have myself called the fbi. I would have called local Law Enforcement. I dont know why he did what he did. I wasnt aware of it. And i always paid attention that he should get Higher Education and serve the United States of america and i thank you all for coming in here and i am very sorry and upset that he did what he did inside the United States. You dont know why he did what he did . Im not aware of at all. I wish he was alive so i could ask him the same question that you have. I cannot tell you. Why he did do such act. This is against the principle of me and the whole family. He talked about some terrorist links with islam. That, i dont know. I dont know. Even if he was my son, i dont approve of anyone doing such a thing against the homeland. This is my home. Thats all i say. And i explain the whole thing. And i am as sad as the rest of the country. I hope all of my american brothers and sisters, they heal faster and we make sure that this doesnt happen in the United States of america in the future. Can you tell us what your last conversation with him was like . When was that conversation . The day before the incident. Saturday . Yeah. Any idea. I wasnt aware completely completely. I just want to take my message out as a father its painful. But i dont approve his act. Again, i repeat myself, that what he did was act of terrorist and he strike inside the house, which is against my principle, against what i taught him. I thank you all for coming. Can you spell your name . You have my name there. Thank you very much. How do you describe him . He was a good boy. Well break away from this. That was shooters father telling everybody he was sad and angry about what his son did. Before we get into specifically what the father said i want to draw your attention into whats happening behind me. You can see oh, did they just leave . There was Police Activity out there. General hertling, what were they doing . Atf agents. Thats part of the investigation team. Theyre looking for anything that may have been shot inside the night of the event. Theyre trying to find every single round, shell casing or bullet in not only the walls or on the street but also in the victim victims to reconstruct. I want to post this. Did what the father said bear that out at all in your mind . He said we should ban muslim immigration. Omar mateen was born in the United States over two decades ago. And 40 at the time he conducted the attack on ft. Hood in 2009. Are we expected to turn back the clock 4 1 2 decades to a point that none of this makes any sense. What were seeing weve seen this with omar mateen. Every single lethal attack, carol, in this country, jihadist terrorist attack, has been carried out by an american citizen or american legal permanent resident. Many of these people are born in the United States. Temporarily banning muslim immigration is a nonsensical response to this. We need to try to find the people through intelligence, clerics or whatever, who may be so inclined and dissuade them or arrest them and all the other things that the community at large can do. Im going to have to leave it there. Thanks to all of my guests. Thanks again to you all. Well be right back. When consultant josh atkins books at laquinta. Com. He gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. So he knows exactly when he can settle in and think big. And when josh thinks big you know what he gives . Ill give you everything ive got and then some. He gives a hundred and ten percent im confident this 10 can boost your market share. Look at that pie chart boom youve never seen a number like that you feel me lois . Im feeling you. Yeah you do lets do this watch out he just had a whole thimble full of coffee. Woot woot the ready for you alert, only at laquinta. Com. La. Quinta yeah if you have moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis isnt it time to let the real you shine through . Introducing otezla, apremilast. Otezla is not an injection, or a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. Some people who took otezla saw 75 clearer skin after 4 months. And otezlas prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Otezla may increase the risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Ask your dermatologist about otezla today. Otezla. Show more of you. The tragedy here in orlando is affecting the United States. Of course, the worst terror attacks since september 11th. The worse mass shooting in American History. Around the world sympathy for the victims and those who are suffering. Vigils have been held in paris, the scene of terror attacks, australia and brazil, and World Leaders giving their condolences to the people of orlando from as far away as japan. Here in the United States vigils have been held in miami, chicago, colorado, even here in orlando where, of course, in a sense theyre waiting because theyre still hoping against hope for more survivors. In new york the spire at one World Trade Center was lit in rainbow colors in honor of the Gay Community that was hit in this horrible terror attack. Our correspondent rachel is live at the Stonewall Inn in new york which is credited with the beginning of the lgbt movement. Rachel . Reporter yes, erin were here at the Historic Stone wall inn. This being the unofficial birth place of the modern gay rights movement. This bar, this location has become a rallying point for the Lgbt Community whenever there was a significant milestone or horrific tragedy. Last night was no different. Behind me there are flowers, candles, posters. Last night i was here, and, erin, there were thousands of people here. It was a highly emotional scene. People were crying. They were kissing. The crowd at one point broke out into song singing somewhere over the rainbow. Highly emotional. There was a lot of love in the air but also a lot of frustration. 50 people killed, 53 wounded for no good reason, just really showed that, you know, how much more evidence do you need that we have not advanced as far as wed like to think we have. Reporter this was just one of many vigils held across the country last night and more will be held this evening here at the stone wall a rally will be held at 7 00 p. M. Clearly this tragedy very fresh in everyones mind. The community needing to come together and mourn. Erin . All right. Rachel, thank you very much. And, of course, the big developing news this hour, we are now learning that the shooter tried to buy body armor a couple weeks before this shooting indicating there had been real planning. Big questions about if anyone knew, what more could have been done to stop this as the father of the shooter came out again and spoke and said that this was most certainly a terror attack. The next hour of cnn newsroom with myself and Carol Costello begins after this break. Ok team, what if 30,000 people download the new app . Were good. Okay. What if a Million People download the new app . Were good. Five million . Good. We scale on demand. Hybrid infrastructure, boom. Ok. What if 30 Million People download the app . Were not good. Were total heroes. Scale on demand with the Number One Company in cloud infrastructure. Wheall i can think abouthit, is getting relief. Only nicorette mini has a patented fastdissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. I never know when ill need relief. Thats why i only choose nicorette mini. This is cnn breaking news. And good morning and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im Carol Costello live from orlando, florida. And im erin burnett also in orlando. Thank you all so much for joining us as our coverage continues. New details and new questions in what is now the worst terror attack in the United States since september 11th, carol. Just a short time ago, erin, a u. S. Official telling us the killer tried to buy body armor from a store in recent weeks. That may mean he was plotting the attack on the gay nightclub for some time. Also new this morning, we learned that all but one of the murder victims have been identified. Authorities are now wading through the grim task of notifying their next of kin. The numbers now clarified. A total of 49 clubgoers killed early sunday morning. Another 53 are wounded. The shooter killed by police in an explosion of gunfire. [ gunshots ] and we have new insights into the horrific moments after police stormed this gay nightclub and killed the shooter. Police confronted by the carnage and desperate to save any lives possible, they yell out among the dozens of victims, if you are alive, raise your hand. And adding to the horror, cell phones ringing unanswered among the dead and wounded, frantic family members learning of the attack and desperately trying to reach their missing loved ones. Were covering all the angles of the story. The victims, the killer, and his possible ties to isis, but lets begin with the investigation. Evan perez has more on that. Good morning, evan. Good morning, carol. We know from investigators that the shooter attempted to buy militarygrade body armor, but he failed to make that purchase in recent weeks. Now, this goes to at least for the investigators from the investigative point of view that it seems to indicate that hes been planning this attack for some time. Now, we dont know exactly why the store that he went to did not sell him the body armor. He attempted to buy level three body armor. This is something that really only the military uses. Its something even above what Police Departments issue to their Police Officers but it indicates to investigators he may have been planning this attack for weeks and that he did not plan to die there. He wanted to make this a drawn out, long drawn out siege with police, carol. We know he bought do with know where he bought the body a armor . And tell us again what kind of weapons that gunman bought, what was it, a week or two ago . Right, exactly. He was able to buy at least two firearms that were found at the scene. One was a glock pistol and the second was a sig sauer rifle. Those purchases were made earlier in june, i believe june 4th, june 5th. There was nothing at all that came up in his background check. After all, he did have a concealed carry permit from the state of florida. He also had a license as an armed Security Guard from the state of florida, so really nothing would have come up in his background check. He had no problems buying those firearms. There was a third firearm, carol, that was recovered from his vehicle. It was a smith wesson revolver. Theyre still doing a check a trace of that firearm to see where that came from, but keep in mind, again, there was nothing in his background that would have prevented him from being able to buy firearms. Its not clear exactly why he was not able to complete the purchase for this body armor that he tried to buy, carol. And one more question. He was a Security Guard. Who did he provide security for . And what did he guard . Well, he worked for a Company Called g4s. This is one of the major Security Services companies in this country. It provides it has contracts to do a lot of Security Services for state and local and federal governments. In this case he worked for the s st. Lucie county courthouse. Thats where he was assigned to. Theres a Detention Center attached. According to g4s, he underwent the background checks that were necessary. The company says they were aware back in 2013 when he was interviewed by the fbi, they were aware of that, but, again, he went through the background checks and nothing came up that would deny him the ability to have a license and to work for this company, carol. All right. Evan perez reporting live for us this morning. I want to throw it back to erin for more on this shooters background. Erin . So you know whats interesting is weve just learned for all of you watching who may have missed it, the shooters father speaking in a press conference and giving us a little bit more detail, saying he had no idea that his son had terror sympathies but he without question called this an act of terror. We have been piecing together bits and pieces of this gunmans personality. Violence towards his wife. His of course, he had a long track record, almost nine years of working at one company. A person who attended mosque regularly, as often as three to four times a week. The gunmans father though, of course, emphasizing that he never saw he says the family never saw any red flags. My family is completely we are shocked. We cant believe what did he do, and i want to take this message out. I dont allow nobody to do any kind of crime or terrorist act inside the United States, and i dont allow it. My principle as a father, my principle as a u. S. Citizen, i have been throughout my life against terrorism, against injustice, against what the anyone can do against the United States, especially my homeland usa. All right. I want to go to Polo Sandoval now. Polo, i know youre in ft. Pierce outside the gunmans apartment where omar lived, a different place than his father obviously. But we are learning these bits and pieces. At first it seemed this was a guy who had gone to the same mosque since 2003. A guy who had worked for the same employer nearly nine years. None of that seeming to fit of a model of someone who ghit commi an act like this. But you learned details about his personality that showed he could be incredibly unstable. Reporter and really the common comment here among some of these people too is many individuals described him as an antisocial individual. The comments weve heard from through our conversations with some of the neighbors here that have finally been able to return home. They basically go in line with what we just heard from the gunmans father and what were seeing here is a state of disbeli disbelief. People really wondering how a person living so close to them would be capable of creating and carrying out such a brutal attack. And so thats what were getting from people here. Many of them returning home for the First Time Since they were asked to leave their home when the bomb squad and s. W. A. T. Team members made their way to this house just yesterday morning. In fact, the parking lot thats been used by the residents here now a makeshift media staging area as residents have not made their way back home quite yet. But again, police did release the scene early this morning. We caught up with one gentleman in particular who made his way back this morning, even described several encounters with the suspect himself saying really they only exchanged a couple of awkward stares, but aside from that a very antisocial individual. I want you to listen to a portion of what he had to say when we caught up with him as he made his way back home, the neighbor. Very quiet, kept to himself. Normally everybody around here when they come down, they say hello, good morning, you know, that sort of thing. He never said anything. Kept to himself. You never know. He looked like the normal joe, and he wasnt obviously. You never know who your neighbor is, bottom line. Reporter so a state of shock, disbelief, and even that neighbor told us a state of feeling disgusted by knowing what possibly could have been planned in the same complex that he lives in. Last detail i should mention, we did notice that a vehicle is still in the parking lot with some evidence stickers on it. Inside you can clearly see what is an inventory sheet, a sign that federal investigators actually looked through that vehicle just yesterday alone. The documents actually have omar mateens name on it and then you see an inventory of some of the items that were taken, including dna samples and also some vacuum samples. While that is standard procedure in several of these investigations, it also really supports what we heard from federal prosecutors just north of here in orlando, that theyre looking at least trying to either rule out or possibly include this idea that maybe there were other individuals involved in at least the planning process. So, again, this still a very fluid investigation. For the people though in this community, as the headline said this morning, he was one of us. A member of what is usually a quiet place here in st. Lucie county, florida. Let me ask you a question on that front. You talk about him being they were saying antisocial, not really involved, but they are obviously now desperately trying to find if anyone else knew, if he had confided with anyone, plotted with anyone. Crucial, crucial things they must know, especially in a state that theyre now worried about if anyone else knew, what else could happen further. Three to four times a week he went to mosque. Within the Muslim Community, polo, are you getting any sense of whether they feel there were warning signs that were missed . Reporter its a great question. We had an opportunity to speak to the imam of that place of worship. Not necessarily a mosque, but it is a place where members of the Muslim Community here would come together to pray. And my take away according to the man who was leading prayer yesterday was that when he would come in, really the latest on friday, he would essentially come in, pray, and leave, not necessarily interact with other members. So that is what were getting. However, when he was younger according to some of the reports, he would interact and was a bit more social than he was lately. I think that at least gives us a better idea of what kind of individual he is. One thing i should mention in my conversation with some of these members of this Islamic Center, there is that concern that this will lead to misunderstandings, that people could misdirect some of this hate and anger towards members of this community here in ft. Pierce. I can tell you theres their concern right now is more on education and also on praying for the victims of the shooting. All right. Polo sandoval, thank you very much. Carol . All right, erin. Thanks so much. Right behind me is the club. Its called pulse. Theres a lot of Police Activity right now. Actually police are well, theyre getting in lines and theyre looking for any spent ammunition on the ground. Also piecing together what exactly went on inside that club because we really dont know how the gunman entered the club, how he made his way through. There are so many Unanswered Questions this morning. I want to bring in orlando city commissioner patti sheehan. Thank you so much for being here with me. You are the first openly gay commissioner in the city of orlando. Yes. So this deeply affects you. Its very devastating for my community. You know, not just the families that were affected in the nightclub. My community as a whole is in mourning. People wanted to have a vigil and we said no, we need Law Enforcement resources here. We had to take some officers to the park last night because people had a vigil anyway. Were really encouraged by the things people are doing nationally and internationally. Some of these officers have been on duty 24 hours straight. Theyre working very hard. Its very hot outside and im so proud of them, and i have to tell you, there could have been a lot more casualties if not for the heroic efforts of the Orlando Police department. They did an amazing job. Theres been some criticism, you know, why didnt they move in faster . The gunman shot, then he was leaving and then he went back in and then he had hostages. Thats why that happened. So i want to be clear. I want to talk about the club itself because i have heard theres only one way into that club, which would mean theres only one way out. Theres actually an emergency exit on one of the bars. So were people pouring out of that emergency exit as well as far as you know . I dont know. I dont know. Because it seems to me that people are having a difficult time getting out. Yeah. Like i say, i know that theres an emergency exit in one of the back bars. Not in the middle one. And theres actually the entrance, but there is an entrance that goes into the theres like three different sections, and then theres an emergency exit at the back. So i dont know what happened. I dont know if the gunman was blocking that exit. We really dont know the particulars at this time. I know that there was an armed guard at the front of the bar. Actually its an offduty police officer. What our officers do is theyre asked to do security at different offduty venues. They get paid by its venue to do that, and thats what this officer was doing. He was actually first on the scene, called backup. The backup came almost immediately, and then the full, you know, response. So how would you characterize this attack . This is an act of hatred and terror, and, you know, i mean, people wonder why the Gay Community needs the protections we do. This is particularly why, because people hate us. They hate us. They dont know us but they seem to hate us, and, you know, i have seen half my community die of aids. You know, i have seen people victimized and victims of discrimination, and now i see my community mowed down in the largest act of violence and terror in American History and its so sad for me. You know, i was walking on the street yesterday, and one of my friends is an anchor from a local station. He called me, he was crying, and i looked down and there was blood all over the sidewalk. It just really hits home. You can see where people had been dragged across the street, and its just horrifying that these young people died in this horrible way. They were so young and had so much promise. So many vigils across the country. Around the world. The vigils across the country. The people lighting up the rainbow on buildings. It just warms our hearts. The 1500 people at the blood bank yesterday. The fact that they lifted the ban on gay men giving blood. You know, so they could give blood for the first time in years. These are all things that give us hope, and i know that this community is going to be stronger for this because we are a people who love, and love can conquer hate every single time, and i have always told my community, weve been angry and weve been active and weve been trying to fight for our rights. I have told them, we cant do that in a manner of hatred. We have to do it in a manner of love and show who we are and do that and show our voice and were going to do that strongly in this community, carol. Patty sheehan, thank you so much for taking time. I appreciate it. Ill be right back. From my perspective it matters what we do more than what we say. I have clearly said we face terrorist enemies who use islam to justify slaughtering innocent people, and, you know, whether you call it radical jihadism, radical islamism, i think they mean the same thing. Im happy to say either, but what i wont do because i think it is dangerous for our efforts to defeat this threat is to demonize and demagogue and, you know, declare war on an entire religion. That plays right into isis hands. I had so many thoughts once i left the hospital after a dvt blood clot. What about my wife. What were building together. And could this happen again . I was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me . I spoke to my doctor and she told me about eliquis. Eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. Not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots. But eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. Knowing eliquis had both. Turned around my thinking. Dont stop eliquis unless you doctor tells you to. Eliquis can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. If you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis treats dvt pe blood clots. Plus had less major bleeding. Both made switching to eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if its right for you. Cleasee ya ake off. When youre living with diabetes. Steady is exciting. Oh this is living baby only glucerna has carbsteady, to help minimize blood sugar spikes. And try new glucerna hunger smart to help you feel full. Whe gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. So you know what he gives . Ill give you everything ive got and then some. He gives a hundred and ten percent im confident this 10 can boost your market share. Feel me lois . Im feeling you. Boom look at that pie chart. The ready for you alert, only at laquinta. Com. Freshly made in the tokyojapanese tradition, each batch is small. Special. Unique. Every bowl blurring the line between food. And art. When you cook with incredible ingredients. You make incredible meals. Fresh ingredients. Stepbysteprecipes. Delivered to your door. Get your first two meals free blueapron. Com cook. Toquicker than everybody. Es, Allyson Felix needs to be to win at home, she needs to be quicker than. Allyson chloe thats why Allyson Felix uses bounty. The quicker picker upper. Bounty is faster and 2x more absorbent. Bounty the quicker picker upper. The attack in orlando has caused a Ripple Effect on the campaign trail. Donald trump and Hillary Clinton have been fighting over the term radical islam, when it say it and whether it applies to what happened at the pulse nightclub. This war of words started out on twitter and played out this morning right here on cnn. Listen for yourself. My perspective it matters what we do more than what we say. I have clearly said that we face terrorist enemies who use islam to justify slaughtering innocent people, and, you know, whether you call it radical jihadism, radical islamism, i think they mean the same thing. Im happy to say either, but what i wont do because i think it is dangerous for our efforts to defeat this threat is to demonize and demagogue and, you know, declare war on an entire religion. That plays right into isis hands. You have tremendous numbers of people with it this tremendous radical hate. The first thing you need is you need a president thats going to mention the problem, and he wont even mention what the problem is, and unless youre going to mention unlease youre goi unless youre going to say its radical islamic terrorism and hate, unless youre going to say it youre never going to solve it. Hillary clinton refuses to use the words. She doesnt believe she shouldnt use it. She is afraid to use it mr. Trump on our show this morning, she did say that. President obama is the boss and shes afraid of him because obviously, you know, she probably thinks that has a very profound effect over her life. Hes protecting her from going to jail. Let me jump in but i bet you she would believe she would love to use those words because almost everybody agrees that those words should be used. She said, mr. Trump, on our interview with her just an hour ago shes happy to use the words radical islam, that shes happy to use the words, that the semantics rnt an issue. Its now about investigating what happened, finding the motive, finding out more about this man, this murderer, and figuring out if theres anything we can do to prevent Something Like this. The greatest source and first of all, we have to stop people from coming in from syria. Were taking them in by the thousands, and youre going to have tremendous problems. You will have problems. Right now you will have problems like weve never seen before, and this will only get worse because we have very weak leadership and hillary is going to be weaker than obama. All right. Here to talk now, our chief Political Correspondent dana bash joins us along with errol louis. Buck sexton also joining the conversation. Let me start with you, dana. What was very interesting about this is Hillary Clinton was very specific in saying she was fine to use the words as she said and christine just pointed out, radical jihadism or radical islamism, they mean the same thing but she doesnt want to declare war on a whole religion. Did she just take the wind out of Donald Trumps sails. He was making his argument Hillary Clinton and barack obama wont use the words radical islam. She just did. She did. And for people out there watching this saying, wait a minute, is this just semantics . Its not because this has been a huge sort of red meat line on the campaign trail throughout the entire republican primary season. It is one of the things that made every pretty much every republican the same on this issue saying mostly that barack obama and then also Hillary Clinton wont call it radical islam, and it was a huge applause line at rallies across the country that i went to again during the republican primary season because for republicans and for a lot of their supporters and even some independents it appears, they think that that is the ultimate in political correctness, and, you know, you got to call it what it is. Now, the reason we know and you can speak to some of our other guests about this, we know the reason why president obama has been reluctant to do that is because he doesnt want to kind of wrap the whole religion into what appears to be radicalism, but Hillary Clinton understands that it is different, and she is trying to say that you cant do that, but you got to call it what it is, and so i think thats why this is a very important moment in the campaign and one that shows my understanding in talking to democratic sources, erin, that for the first time democrats feel that they might have a leg up on National Security. They dont want to lose that. Right. And, errol, you know whats interesting . In another interview this morning donald trump also on the phone said this, and i want to quote it because, errol, i want to get your view on exactly what hes saying here. Hes talking about Barack Obamas handling of this terror attack so far, and he says, quote, he doesnt get it or he gets it better than anybody understands. Its one or the other. What is he saying do you think, errol . Well, its the kind of baseless smear weve heard from donald trump since his birtherism episodes from a number of years ago. You know, whats really important to note here, carol, is that this is baby talk, right . Whether or not somebody said the magic words. Did he say islamist or islamic and does he say it enough times and does she say it enough times. It really doesnt mean anything. The question that christine was trying to get donald trump to answer, which, of course, he did not answer is what would be his policy . The closest thing weve heard from a policy from him has been to bomb the hell out of isis and to ban muslims from immigrating to the United States. Now, how that would have helped 29 years ago when this particular terrorist was born in the United States as an american citizen with all of his constitution rights intact, im not sure how thats supposed to work. So and then this notion that the president somehow kind of knows whats going on but, you know, is secretly trying to shelter some faction of terrorist is baseless. Its not something that should be taken seriously or, frankly, even repeated. This is the kind of chitchat you hear on right wing radio day and night, mostly night, but it doesnt belong on a president ial debate. This is the presumptive nominee for president of the United States for the republican party. What he said there, perhaps very significant. The obvious implications, of course, are very ugly. So let me read it to you, buck. He doesnt get it or he gets it better than anybody else than anybody understands. Im sorry. He doesnt get it or he gets it better than anybody understands, its one or the other. Thats donald trump this morning about president obama. What do you think he was saying, buck . To preface i was unable to hear what your other guest had said so i cant respond to it. I can hear you, erin, but i couldnt hear errol. Im not clear on what donald trump is trying to say there. Its often times hard for somebody on the right side of the aisle to see what it is that he views as his foreign policy, to see what it is that he views as what his statements are trying to accomplish. On the point about Hillary Clinton, calling something thats as obviously and blatantly radical islamism or radical jihadism as this attack, to call it what it is and then claim its a semantic victory, it seems strange to me it would take her this long to get to this point. The Obama Administration has been staying away from it. We all recognize that. President obama didnt mention islam i believe in any context even to say this is not part of islam or to defend it. He certainly didnt say anything about how its a part of islamic jihadism or islamism and the hesitation to speak about these things openly and honestly i think has been a campaign talking point because it does make people really uncomfortable. You cant tell us were in ideological war which most experts will agree right now, theres an ideological war between a subset of people within islam. Its a percentage but keep in mind islam is very large so even a small percentage can cause tremendous problems around the world around much of the western world. By the way, also much of the nonbelieving world, other muslims. And the inability to speak about it and speak openly about it seems to be an enormous disadvantage from go. So what president obama says about barack obama i cant sorry, what donald trump says about president obama i cant tell you what hes trying to say, but i do know that the administrations hesitation and Hillary Clintons hesitation gives people real pause. All right. Thank you very much buck, errol, dana. Were going to take a break. And were getting new information about an american suicide bomber at this hour. This is new information about american suicide bomber who attended the same mosque as the orlando gunman. More on that breaking news as were continuing to run that down. That will be right after this break. Well be back. It takes a lot of work. To run this business. But i really love it. Im on the move all day long. And sometimes, i just dont eat the way i should. So i drink boost® to get the nutrition that im missing. Boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. All with a great taste. I dont plan on slowing down any time soon. Stay strong. Stay active with boost®. One day a rider made a decision. The decision to ride on and save money. He decided to save money by switching his motorcycle insurance to geico. Theres no shame in saving money. Ride on, ride proud. Geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. This is cnn breaking news. And good morning. Im Carol Costello live in orlando, florida. Thanks so much for joining me. We do have a bit of breaking news to pass along to you and it may be quite important. Weve come to understand that an american suicide bomber in syria attended the same mosque as the shooter at the pulse nightclub behind me. We do not know if they knew one another. Our senior investigators drew griffith did some digging and found this out. Drew, tell us what you know. Reporter the spokesperson for the ft. Pierce Islamic Center has confirmed that Mohammed Abdel saleh, this 22yearold suicide bomber who killed himself in syria in 2014 occasionally, he says, attended the same center of prayer as did omar mateen. We know omar mateen worshipped at this center three or four times a week, so its not inconceivable the two of them met, but the spokesperson said he had no idea if mateen and abdulsaleh new one another. Abdulsaleh is from hero beach, florida, but for a time he did live or reside in or near ft. Pierce, florida, where the orlando shooter is from. Its just another piece of the puzzle and could explain why in 2014 the fbi had reason to conduct interviews and do an investigation on the background of omar mateen. It may be this nexus or potential nexus between a suicide db an americanborn suicide bomber in syria and the mosque these two men attended in ft. Pierce, florida. As we continue to dig for more information, the fbi is following the same leads as we speak. Carol . All right. You stay there, drew. I want to bring in peter bergen, who is cnns National Security analyst and Lieutenant General mark hertling. Peter, what do you make of this . I think its just we knew yesterday that the fbi had been investigating the orlando shooters potential links to al saleh who was a floridian who was self recruited to al qaeda, conducted a suicide operation for al qaeda in syria in 2014. Now we have drews reporting they may have attended the same mosque which i think incrementally moves that a bit further, but it raises the broader question, of course, about these fbi investigations. You know, clearly the fbi didnt find enough what they determine t term derogatory information to keep these cases open. As im sure the house Homeland Security committee and others will do a report on this, hold hearings, and im sure the fbi will have to explain why they decided not to pursue these cases given what we now know. General, could you make sense of that . Because im sure many of our viewers are wondering the very same thing. I would suggest that as we get more and more involved in mateens forensics and the fbi team was there yesterday, theyre sevening his house, theyre finding things, theyll be able to determine the connections between him and many others. When youre talking about the same mosque, thats a coincidence that certainly is very important, but i think what were talking about is when you have information on an individual, how do you continue to drive the intelligence to determine if a crime is committed or the potential for a crime is committed. And, again, i keep going back to what the fbi may have known, what they may not have known, and they had to drop the case because of higher priorities. Now, thats unacceptable to a lot of americans. Theyre saying you had this guy in your hand, why did you let him go . If you dont have anything, you have to let him go. Drew, are you still with me . Reporter yes, im still with you. Yes, i am, carol. I know yuch been doiouve be lot of digging on this. We know the american suicide bomber in syria attended the same mosque as the shooter at pulse. We know the shooter at pulse bragged about i know youve been digging into this guys background. Supposedly in high school he told people he was related to osama bin laden. He bragged at work in a way that led at least one coworker to leave the job because, frankly, the shooter scared him. What else do we know about this guy . Reporter were also learning there may have been, may have been an incident in 2006 in which he was involved with a Law Enforcement training academy, and were trying to dig into a possible reason to believe that he had to drop out of that school, but there are many of these varying degrees of i would call places where he may have snapped verbally. Were not seeing much violence in his past at all. In fact, we dug up the divorce records, the divorce that was granted in 2011 from his first wife, and there is no mention of any sort of Domestic Violence or anything like that. What i think is interesting about this mosque, especially for your analysts there, carol, this is a very, very small community. At most the imam told me yesterday they would have 100 or 130 people for friday prayers, which would have been their biggest prayer service. So its not like it was one of these large mosque communities where somebody could easily fade in and fade out in the background. I think that may also play into it. It was a very, very small congregation that worshipped in this ft. Pierce Islamic Center. And, drew, i just want to clarify something you said to our viewers. The Washington Post interviewed this shooters exwife. She said he was violent. Of course, they wouldnt be perhaps in the divorce records, and she says though there was a Police Report filed but no charges. Am i correct in that . Reporter that is what she said. We have been unable to retrieve any kind of Police Record to that effect, and in the only records that we have at the courthouse relating to this person, omar mateen, we know in 2006 he changed his name. He added ma teb to tteen to the his name. And then 2011 when he got a divorce, it was a standard divorce proceeding. Both parties citing irreconcilable differences, and no mention of any kind of Domestic Abuse or violence. Now, perhaps, you know, there was violence, but they just chose not to put that in the Court Records but oftentimes when were looking at divorce proceedings, those kind of details of a failed marriage are very much in those Court Records which is why we go and pursue them. They were noticeably absent given the exwifes interview that we all listened to. All right. Drew griffin, great reporting. Thank you so much. We understand that the fbi director comey is going to speak at 12 15 eastern time. That is in just, oh, a little over two hours from now. And, of course, well keep you posted. General mark hertling, peter bergen, drew griffin, thanks to all of you. Ill be right back. I will change you. Change your goals to get you home earlier every day. Sometimes i will give you superpowers. But sometimes, ill make you feel like the weakest man in the world. I will test your patience to make your heart softer. And your limits to make you tougher. But i promise dad, it will be the greatest journey of your life. Man, its like pure power at your finger tips. Like the power to earn allstate reward points, every time i drive. Want my number . And cash back for driving safe. And the power to automatically find your car. I see you car and i got the power to know whos coming and when if i break down. You must be gerry. Hey. In means getting more from your Car Insurance with the allpowerful drivewise app. Its good to be in, good hands. That can camp out in between our teeth, if well let it. Use gum® brand. Softpicks®. Proxabrush® cleaners. Flossers and dental floss. Gum® brand. Three Significant Developments to tell you about. The head of the fbi james comey going to be giving a briefing at 12 15 eastern time. Obviously crucial details going to be in that briefing from the fbi. The first time director comey has spoken in a briefing of this sort. Were going to be getting that at 12 15. Also just learning our drew griffin reporting a suicide bomber had occasionally attended services at the same mosque that omar mateen frequented, and he did, indeed, frequent a mosque here in florida. Omar mateen, the shooter, attending mosque three to four times a week and attending as recently as just two days ago. All of this comes as we are learning that he tried to purchase body armor a few weeks ago which perhaps means that this act had been planned for a longer period of time than initially suspected and also indicates that perhaps he wanted to survive this attack. Joining me now the orlando regional coordinator for care florida, the council of American Islamic relations, and thank you very much for being with me. Let me get straight to the question here with this latest reporting, that a suicide bomber was attending the same mosque that omar mateen attended. We understand at this time its unclear if they knew one another and yet you are hearing about two people coming out of the same mosque. This is deeply troubling for most people who hear this. I mean, its the first im hearing about it and i find it very disturbing, so, you know, our hearts are with the community and that mosque were not too sure of who attends that mosque. Were not too sure who the shooter was and no one really knows who he is, and im sure no one knows who that suicide bomber was also. So i know that thats true, but, of course, the big question here is how could this have happened . First of all, coming out of the same mosque does raise questions for some, and when you continue a little bit further, the question would be, well, is it possible that no one else knew, someone who is attending mosque so regularly that he wouldnt have confided in anyone or acting strangely in any way before this . Obviously anybody who sees something has to say something. Is it possible that that did not happen . From what i know in the orlando and Central Florida community and the Muslim Community across the nation is the imams work very closely with Law Enforcement. The Muslim Community has been the leading group for detecting any kind of radicalism and extremism. I cant imagine they saw something and didnt say something. Im very familiar with how the imams here locally in Central Florida work very well with Law Enforcement, fbi, opd to make sure and ensure that their mosques and moreover and more importantly that this country and this state is safe. So the youre saying that the imams do have regular communications with Law Enforcement and the fbi, that is a regular channel of communication. What im trying to understand is is it hard or is it easy to raise concerns about somebody . As far as the imams are concerned, i cant speak on behalf of the imams and the Law Enforcement, but i have been in several conversations and these dialogues and there is training and the imams are trained on how to detect these. The community is the community is very fully aware of what can be strange and every time i have seen the community has very well informed Law Enforcement and their leadership if they did see anything strange. So rasha, donald trump says today that the Muslim Community is not doing enough to selfpolice. You look at san bernardino. You look at this. When you hear that, what do you say . Can you repeat that . Im sorry. Im saying donald trump is saying the Muslim Community is not doing enough to selfpolice and, of course, we look at the horrible attack in san bernardino, the horrible attack now here in orlando. When you hear that, what do you say . I mean, the Muslim Community has, like i said, been the leading advocate group for detecting any kind of radicalism or extremism in the mosques or in the community, and as far as participating in local events, i mean, the whole Muslim Community has been donating blood, mobilizing blood drives, were in communication with Law Enforcement. There is a gofundme account for the victims and families. Were mourning not as muslimamericans, were mourning as central floridians. Were floridians and the peace has been disturbed here in our community in orlando, florida, where donald trump is not present to see the peace and love, the communication that we have, the amazing camaraderie that we do have with the Lgbt Community here in Central Florida. We are a part of the fabric of this nation, and he needs to realize that and really appreciate that. All right. Rasha mubarak, thank you for your time this morning. We appreciate it. Still to come, the 29yearold shooter targeting a gay club. How can america prevent this from happening again . Were going to speak to two gay rights activists next. Im in vests and as a vested investor in vests, i invest with e trade, where investors can investigate and invest in vests. Or not in vests. Sign up at etrade. Com and get up to six hundred dollars. For crash survival, subaru has developed ours most revolutionary feature yet. Gay club. And stop itself to avoid it. When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. Not toyota. Not ford or any other brand. Subaru eyesight. An extra set of eyes, every time you drive. Those hot dogs look good. Oh yeah, hebrew national. Their allbeef like yours but theyre also kosher. So, not just any beef goes into it. Oh, honey oh here, have some of ours. Oh hebrew national. A hot dog you can trust. Im terhe is. At golf. But id like to keep being terrible at golf for as long as i can. New patented ensure enlive has hmb plus 20 grams of protein to help rebuild muscle. For the strength and energy to do what you love. New ensure enlive. Always be you. Whe gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. So you know what he gives . Ill give you everything ive got and then some. He gives a hundred and ten percent im confident this 10 can boost your market share. Feel me lois . Im feeling you. Boom look at that pie chart. The ready for you alert, only at laquinta. Com. Shoshow me more like this. E. Show me previously watched. Whats recommended for me. X1 makes it easy to find what you love. Call or go online and switch to x1. Only with xfinity. And good morning and welcome back to orlando, florida. Im Carol Costello. News to pass along to you. We understand that six people who were injured in pulse nightclub have now been released from hospitals, and that must mean theyre doing okay. 29 people though remain in the hospital and as you know, 49 people were killed on that terrible night in the wee hours of sunday morning. The suspect in this case, the shooter, the man behind the worst mass shooting in u. S. History, well, his target was pults and that pulse and thats a well known orlando gay nightclub. This shooter had expressed antigay sentiments. Joining me now is activist clay aiken. Also joining me is corey lyons, president of Impulse Group orlando, a volunteer group that collaborates with the aids health care foundation. Thanks to both of you for being with me. Thank you. Corey, youve been inside pulse nightclub. Correct. There were 350 inside that club when the shooting occurred. It seemed to me people were having trouble getting out of the club. Can you help us understand why . The infrastructure of that environment is very challenging. The exits where you have to go, you have to go around a vip area to get out. Theres a gate outside. You know, you never really think about this stuff until it happens and when you realize, you know, how easy it was to affect that many people that quickly. You can understand based on the layout of pulse how that happened. There have been some people criticizing the Police Response and many others say the police are heroes in this case and thats why im asking that question. Police are on site with pulse normally on a regular night. I would not be criticizing them for that. I think its the environment. I think its a tragedy all the way around and i think were all trying to recover from that. Clay, you say that this was more a hate crime than a terrorist act. Am i characterizing that correctly . We all real iize this terrorized a community, terrorized a nation so its terror for that reason but i think the motivation whether it is because its islamic terrorist type attack, if this person was motivated by religious belief or antiamerican belief, im not sure we know, but what is very clear is this is someone who targeted a very specific population of people. He didnt go into a regular nightclub. He specifically went into a gay nightclub full of gays and lesbians. His father has said he was angry because he saw two men kissing. You know, this is a hate crime because this person targeted a very specific group and its a group of people who have been persecuted well before sunday, you know, and this is something thats an epidemic in this country and i think the disservice we do to the memory of those who died and the victims of this is by implying that this person only had these beliefs because he might have been muslim or because he had an islamic background. These beliefs are prevalent all over this country, people who are christian, people who are jewish, people who have no religion. This homophobia is sort of rampant around america, and its not fair to scapegoat one religion and say, oh, we dont have this problem because its always muslims who are doing this. Look, islam is so homophobic. This is a problem we have to address as a problem. Corey, some people may say weve gone so far in gay rights, samesex marriage has been legalized. So tell us what the real problem of homophobia is in this country because i think there are some people who believe its not really that big of a problem anymore. I think we are segregated into pockets where we believe so strongly it is not a problem and were segregated in areas like the coasts, were segregated in areas like large cities, l. A. , new york, miami, where we live so freely with these rights that we fought for, but, unfortunately, those rights arent always afforded in the same environments in between. Theres a lot of states that still were dealing with rights in other states, other countries. Its staggering to see the differences and the gaps between where we are and where we can be. So i think this is a reminder, you know, this hits home to everybody. New york pride, l. A. Pride, orlando pride, miami pride. Its more about what we can do to help each other in between that dont have those huge prides and have the rights everybody has fought for. There are 29 states in this country right now where a gay man or woman can walk into their job, their boss fintsds out theyre guy or lesbian and can fire them. Weve come a long way. Pride is supposed to be a time where people are celebrating the accomplishments we have made but there are still a lot of things that need to be done and this is a wakeup call that homophobia is not gone in this country. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. I appreciate it. Thank you for joining me today. Im Carol Costello. Id also like to thank erin burnett. At this hour with berman and bolduan after a break. Do you really know what it means . No. The answer is no. Because its complicated and sciencey. But with my nutrition mixes, you dont have to worry about the science. You can just put it in your pie hole. Planters. Nutrition starts with nut. Man 1 i came as fast as i man 2 this isnt public yet. Man 1 what isnt . Man 2 weve been attacked. Man 1 the network . Man 2 shhhh. Man 1 when did this happen . Man 2 over the last six months. Man 1 how did we miss it . Man 2 we caught it, just not in time. Man 1 who . How . Man 2 not sure, probably offshore, foreign, pros. Man 1 what did they get . Man 2 what didnt they get. Man 1 i need to call mike. Man 2 dont use your phone. Its not just security, its defense. Bae systems. Hello, everyone. Im kate bolduan live in new york. And im john berman live in orlando, florida. Behind me you can see the pulse nightclub where just 24 hours ago there was a threehour standoff, shootout leaving 49 people dead. 24 hours ago there were people running down this street looking for safety. And over thet