Transcripts of Orlando Shooter’s Calls to Police Will be Released, Says Attorney General

Transcripts of Orlando Shooter’s Calls to Police Will be Released, Says Attorney General
In this Sunday, June 12, 2016 file photo, an aerial view of the mass shooting scene at the Pulse nightclub is seen in Orlando, Fla. A gunman opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub early Sunday, before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said. With news that Omar Mateen killed dozens of people in the gay nightclub in Florida and was born to Afghan immigrant parents, the Afghan-American community is expressing horror, sorrow and disbelief that one of their own could commit the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File
Jack Phillips
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Mateen and his wife, Noor Salman, reportedly exchanged text messages during the attack, NBC News reported. According a source, Salman texted Mateen and asked him, “Where are you?” Mateen then told her: “Do you see what’s happening?” Salman responded, “No?” the source added. He then told her, “I love you, babe.” Mateen also made Facebook posts. “America and Russia stop bombing the Islamic state,” the gunman wrote, according to CNN.

While in Orlando, Lynch will meet with first responders, local law enforcement, and victims to offer support.

“We do want to be as transparent as possible in this investigation so people can see not only what he was thinking, what he was doing, but also the kind of information that we’re looking at. As more facts come to light, the FBI is sorting through conflicting information,” the attorney general told CBS' “Face the Nation.”

Mourners gather at a makeshift memorial prior for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Orlando on June 13. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Mourners gather at a makeshift memorial prior for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Orlando on June 13. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Currently, investigators don’t have any information that Mateen was being directed by terrorist networks overseas, including ISIS. They have found that he was likely self-radicalized.

“Over the course of time, he—like sadly too many individuals—was consuming radical jihadist information online and was becoming radicalized here in the United States,” she said.

Lynch also said it’s too early in the investigation to determine if family members had a hand in the attack. It was reported that Mateen texted his wife during the shooting, while his wife reportedly made conflicting statements to authorities.

“It’s really too early to talk about other individuals in the investigation, except to say that we are talking to everyone who had a connection to this killer,” Lynch said.

FBI agents investigate the damaged rear wall of the nightclub Pulse, where Omar Mateen allegedly killed at least 50 people in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. The mass shooting killed  50 people and injured 53 others in what is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
FBI agents investigate the damaged rear wall of the nightclub Pulse, where Omar Mateen allegedly killed at least 50 people in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. The mass shooting killed  50 people and injured 53 others in what is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In her media appearances, Lynch defended the FBI’s prior interactions with Mateen. She explained why a tip from a Florida gun shop owner saying that a man—who turned out to be Mateen—acted suspiciously inside the gun store didn’t turn into a more thorough investigation.

Lynch told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the shooter didn’t make a purchase inside that specific store, meaning no identifying information was collected.

“Because no purchase was made, there was nothing to identify who it was. There was nothing to say a name or an address. But, again, we are asking everyone to look back at any contact they have had with this killer and do what this gun shop owner did and report it to us,” she said.

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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