Twenty are dead after someone – identity as yet undivulged – opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The FBI is investigating this as terrorism, which certainly seems reasonable. So, get ready for your new media obsession for the next week or three, at least until Trump opens his yap and says something stupid.
About 20 people dead, more than 40 taken to hospital after shooting at downtown Orlando nightclub
So, since there is as yet no data on the shooter, speculation will of course run rampant. The top four, as it seems to me:
- Run of the mill whackjob
- Some whackjob with a problem with the club (former employee) or someone there (former boyfriend)
- Religious whackjob, tweaked about teh gheys. Note: reports are the terrorist *may* have been wearing a bomb vest, *may* have been strapping bombs to hostages. I leave it to you to decide if that sounds like any religion in particular.
- Conspiracy Theory Wildcard: Umm… lessee. Ah, got it. The gunman was brainwashed by Obama to shoot up a Protected Class in order to gin up outrage among the electorate to help ram through new gun control measures and/or divert attention away from Hillarys upcoming indictment
UPDATE: The Daily Fail is already reasonably certain of the motive…
UPDATE 2: And we have a winner. Multiple news outlets including CNN are ID’ing the terrorist as one “Omar Saddiqui Mateen” from Port St. Lucie, Florida, American born to Afghani parents.
UPDATE 3: Latest number I’ve heard is 59 dead, confirmed as 50 or more. Worst mass shooting in the US since at least the 19th century.
UPDATE 4: Omar pledged his loyalty to Islamic State on a call to 911 during the shootout.