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AR-15 Rifle, Used in Orlando, Has Bloody History

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The massacre in Orlando was the most recent time the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was used in a mass killing.

It was used to slaughter first graders at Sandy Hook, murder Batman fans at a Colorado movie theater and kill county workers at a holiday party in San Bernardino.

On Sunday, officials said an AR-15 was found amid the dozens of dead, and dozens of wounded, at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

In the aftermath, President Obama once again railed at the ease with which domestic terrorists bent on killing as many people as possible can get their hands on high-powered guns and rifles.



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Clinton and Trump React to Gay Club Shooting

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Presumptive nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump each weighed in Sunday on the mass shooting at the gay club Pulse in Orlando, which authorities say claimed at least 50 lives, NBC News reported.

The two took contrasting approaches, reflecting starkly different campaigns and personalities.

Clinton offered a subdued response on Sunday morning, calling the attack "devastating news" on Twitter and sending thoughts to those affected. She tweeted the same message in Spanish, as well.

Trump, however, boasted that he had predicted the attack and thanked supporters for giving him credit for his achievement.

The attack took place during a Latin-themed night at the club.

Officials are still investigating the shooter's motives, but sources told NBC News that attacker Omar Mateen called 911 shortly before the attack to pledge his allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

Deadly Nightclub Shooting Leaves Orlando Reeling

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A gunman opened fire and took hostages at an Orlando gay nightclub on Sunday morning before being killed in a gun battle with law enforcement, authorities said. At least 50 people were killed and 53 others were injured in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Photo Credit: AP

Mass Shooting in Florida Nightclub Deadliest in US History

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With authorities reporting that 50 people were killed and 53 people wounded early Sunday morning at an Orlando nightclub, the massacre becomes the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States.

It nearly doubles the previous most deadly incident, the 2007 rampage at Virginia Tech, in which Seung-Hui Cho shot 32 people to death on the Blacksburg, Virginia, campus before killing himself, NBC News reports.

It also eclipses the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School committed by Adam Lanza in December 2012.

NBC News has reviewed the other deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.



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What Motivated Orlando Nightclub Shooter?

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While no one may ever know what was truly going through the head of the man who shot over 100 people at a gay Orlando nightclub on Sunday, his family says he may have been motivated by pure hate against the LGBT community, NBC News reports.

Various law enforcement officials have identified the shooter as Omar Mateen, 29, who was born in New York and lived in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Because of his name and heritage, there were immediately questions about Islamic fundamentalism — but his father said it may have been a recent incident involving two men showing each other affection that set the gunman off.

"We were in Downtown Miami, Bayside, people were playing music. And he saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and he got very angry," Mir Seddique, told NBC News on Sunday.

He also said the family was not aware he would take any action. "We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident," Seddique said.



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Gay Pride Celebrations Turn Somber After Massacre

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What should have been a celebratory time for gay, lesbian and transgender communities around the world became a time of mourning following the   slaughter of at least 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

June is pride month, but parades on Sunday took on a somber tone after the attack on Pulse, where 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire in the early morning hours.

Los Angeles had a particular scare, when a heavily armed man with possible explosives was arrested before the pride parade in West Hollywood. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said there did not appear to be any link to the Orlando massacre but that the man said was heading for the parade.  

Meanwhile, the parades in Los Angeles and Philadelphia began with moments of silence and police increased their presence. Marchers in Philadelphia said the killings gave them new resolve to live their lives openly, without fear.

"It's so sad, and you would think that we'd come further," Haden Reed, an assistant manager at an LGBT bookstore in Philadelphia, told NBC Philadelphia. "But this is just a reminder there's a really long way to go.”

The rampage during pride month left people across the country stricken and Orlando's gay community in shock, said Bill Manes, an editor of the city’s LGBT newspaper, "Watermark."

"As far as I know, this was not an orchestrated effort," he said. "It's just something that happens when someone wants to be a really bad person."

The shooter's father, Seddique Mir Mateen, told NBC News on Sunday his son apparently was motivated by anger toward gay men rather than religion. He had recently gotten upset when he saw two men kissing in front of his wife and child, the father said.

"They were kissing each other and touching each other and he said, 'Look at that. In front of my son they are doing that,'" the father said. "And then we were in the men's bathroom and men were kissing each other."

Sources told NBC News that Mateen, in a phone call to 911 in the moments before the rampage, swore allegiance to the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. ISIS has reportedly treated gay people brutally, releasing images that seem to show gay men being hurled off buildings and then stoned to death.

At the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a symbol of gay rights after a police raid led to riots in the late 1960s, flowers were left at its entrance before a Sunday evening vigil. The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in Orlando said it was heartbroken by the senseless attack.

"We mourn for those lost and in need of answers," it said in a statement.

"This only reaffirms and strengthens our commitment to fight for the inclusion and protection of the LGBT community nationwide and around the globe."

In Toronto, police tweeted that they were reassessing security for all pride events for the month. A candlelight vigil was being planned for downtown Sunday night and Pride Toronto said that as a community it stood united during a painful time.

"What a terrible day," Pride in London tweeted. "But let's remember that #LoveWins and we show our strength by coming together in Pride."

The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity said it was devastated. It urged others not to rush to assign blame to any individual or group beyond the shooter.

"It is also not lost on us that this horrific tragedy occurred during LGBTQ Pride month, which this year coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, typically a period of peace and intense self-reflection," it said in a statement. "It pains us to see that these periods of joy, celebration, and peace have been marred so violently with such horror."

The Harvey Milk Foundation, created in honor of one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, said prayers and love were not enough. Hate continues to cause too much grief, it said.

"As we reach out to comfort the Orlando families, and as we support the courage for the injured to heal, may we also have the strength to address and deal with the roots of hatred and separation that target any minority community with violence, any where in the world," the foundation said.



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Arrest Near LA Pride Parade

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Assault rifles, high capacity magazines, ammunition and chemcials used to make explosives were found Sunday in the vehicle of a man who told officers that he wanted "to harm a gay pride event," according to Santa Monica police.

Authorities arrested the man Sunday morning just hours after a mass shooting in Orlando left at least 50 dead at a nightclub and before the start of the LA PRIDE parade in nearby West Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks identified the man arrested in the beach community as James Howell, 20, of Indiana. During the arrest, Howell told one of her officers "of wanting to do harm to the gay pride event," Seasbrooks told NBC News.

The chief did not elaborate on specifics stressing the investigation was still preliminary. Jail records show Howell was in custody with bail set at $500,000. A court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the case does not appear linked to the Orlando mass shooting, but that the man was heavily armed and told police he was going to the LA PRIDE parade nearly 10 miles away.

Howell was arrested after police responded to a prowler call near Olympic Boulevard and 11th Street. The suspect was allegedly knocking on a resident's door and window.

Officers found Howell seated in a nearby vehicle in which they found three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and ammunition, Santa Monica police said. Officers also found a 5-gallon bucket with chemicals "capable of forming an improvised explosive device."

The LA County Sheriff's Department bomb squad responded to the scene. Authorities said they have no additional information about the suspect's intentions.

Investigators removed items from the white Acura sedan and placed them on the sidewalk near the driver's side door. The car was taken away on a flatbed truck.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told City News Service "we are assisting the Santa Monica Police Department with the arrest of an individual," but would not supply any more details. Santa Monica police did not confirm details, or link it to the PRIDE festival.

The arrest came hours after a gunman opened fire in a gay Orlando nightclub, leaving at least 50 dead and more than 50 injured.

Sunday's parade in West Hollywood began at about 11 a.m. with a moment of silence at Crescent Heights Boulevard, then continued west along Santa Monica Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard. The usually festive atmosphere included a more somber tone on a day when the United State witnesses its deadliest mass shooting.

Deputies routinely patrol the parade, held every year since 1970, except for 1973 when infighting over displays the previous two years left the organizers in disarray. The parade was held in Hollywood until 1979, when it moved to West Hollywood.

Refresh this page for updates.


Photo Credit: Santa Monica PD

In Face of Tragedy, Local LGBT Bars Ask for More Security

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Following a deadly shooting at an LGBT Orlando nightclub, owners and managers of some of San Diego's nightclubs and bars are meeting with police, asking them to ramp up security. 

A gunman armed with an assault-type rifle and handgun stormed into the crowded nightclub, killing at least 50 and wounding 53. The massacre marks the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Lukas Volk, the manager of Urban Mo's, a nightclub and bar in San Diego's popular Hillcrest neighborhood, said owners of LGBT bars and clubs in Hillcrest are asking to meet with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) police chief about increased security in the face of the tragedy.

Volk said Mo's has had their TVs on the news all morning and he was horrified to hear of the news. 

"We’re just saddened and shocked that something this massive could have happened to our own brothers and sisters," Volk said. 

Volk, a Florida native, said the massacre touches home for him. 

"We have tons of friends and family who live in the community and we’re going back and forth all the time performing, having guest performers, it definitely touches our community no matter where it happens," Volk said.

Though he has never been to the nightclub, he said he has been out in Orlando and cannot imagine what the community is going through. 

"Our hearts go out to you in this tragic time. We’re thinking about you," Volk said. "Our thoughts are with you."



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

San Diegans Mourn Orlando Tragedy Victims

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San Diegans honored the victims of the Orlando mass shooting with memorials, vigils and by flying flags half staff.

Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

SDPD Chief: Increased Security in SD Until Further Notice

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San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Chief Shelley Zimmerman is reassuring San Diegans that there is no known threat in San Diego, though authorities continue to work closely with law enforcement. 

"As a precautionary measure and until further information is known, we have increased our security posture in the City," Zimmerman said in a statement. 

She said residents could expect increased security particularly at mass gatherings. 

"We want all San Diegans and their guests to feel safe," Zimmerman said. "This is yet another reminder for us all to remain vigilant and to stand together in protecting our community."

Zimmerman offered her condolences to those affected by the shooting.

She said if anyone sees something or knows something to speak up. FBI Spokesman Darrell Foxworth said there is always concern for a lone wolf or a copycat.

"There's always concern of lone wolf copycat. It is important and can't be stressed enough-- see something, say something," Foxworth said.

"Working together as a community, we will protect our safety and our freedom," the statement read. 

No other information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBC 7
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1 Killed in Crash Down Embankment Off I-15

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A driver was killed after her SUV lost control on Interstate 15 and rolled multiple times down an embankment before coming to rest in front of the Murphy Canyon Walmart Sunday afternoon, California Highway Patrol (CHP) said.

The crash happened at 1 p.m. at Murphy Canyon and Stonecrest in Kearny Mesa.

“All of a sudden I saw a car flying off the freeway, off the 15 – it was headed towards Murphy Canyon Road by the Walmart and the car was spinning while flying through the air,” witness Diana Wray told NBC 7. “I saw the lady be thrown out of the car while the car was spinning around in circles and I saw her hit the ground.”

Wray said she called 911 and bystanders who surrounded the victim performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

“It’s hard to see. It’s a life,” Wray said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. 

It is unclear if there were any passengers in the car.

Check back for updates on this story. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

'There Has to be a Change': Local Experts on Mass Shooting Mitigation

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While the FBI says there is no active or specific credible threat to San Diego or the local LGBT community, in the wake of the deadly Orlando shooting experts say there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of a mass shooting.

“ISIS changed tactics,” UC San Diego professor and terrorism expert Eli Berman told NBC 7. “The access to people who could be radicalized over the Internet continues. The Europeans are very much at risk and we’re at risk in the United States, too. That’s not going to change any time soon, I don’t think.”

Berman explained that instead of just defending itself ISIS wants to provoke Europe and the United States.

Chuck LaBella, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said there should be a ‘no buy’ list in the same way there is a ‘no fly’ list for people who want to purchase guns. 

“There has to be a change,” LaBella told NBC 7. “If someone’s…under suspicion for something like terrorism, or domestic violence or something like that, [where a] weapon would be germane…why wouldn’t there be a period where before they’re sold a weapon they’re questioned by the FBI?…If you put someone on a ‘no buy’ list they get a hearing and that’s what it’s all about in the U.S., due process.”

Labella also pointed out that no constitutional amendment is absolute.

“You cannot go into a theater and yell 'fire.' You’ll get convicted every day of the week for that, and if you use freedom of speech as a defense you’ll lose every time. The right to bear arms is not absolute. You can regulate it.”

Professor Berman said while it’s difficult to defend against lone-wolf attackers, citizens can speak up when they see or hear something that doesn’t seem right.

“If you hear hate speech and somebody’s talking about weapons...then that’s the time to say something,” Berman said. “The trick is not to stop them from ‘being’…They’re out there. The trick is to identify them and deny them access to weapons that make them very, very dangerous.”

He also explained that military grade assault weapon regulation can limit the number of casualties.

“Denying the attackers access to weapons is an effective way of reducing the loss of life,” he explained. “An AR-15 is a military grade rifle…Do we really want our enemies to have access to weapons that are that lethal? It’s not a hunting rifle. It’s an assault weapon.”



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Artists Creates Gun Control Artwork

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Between the birthday greetings he got as he woke up, visual artist ChadMichael Morrisette said his heart broke for what he saw on the news Sunday morning as details emerged about the mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando.

"This affected me so much. I wanted people to see as the biggest shooting in American history, what that might look like, and I have the ability to show them that," he said.

It was his call to action. His vision was to show people the horror of what the aftermath of a shooting of that magnitude would look like.

Morrisette created a dramatic representation of the carnage inside Pulse nightclub, with 50 mannequins on the roof of his West Hollywood home.

"I put 50 bodies on the roof of my house so that people could drive by and see what 50 human bodies looks like. Piled up," he said of the installation.

No two mannequins' expressions are the same, no positions are the same. It is the visual of what first responders must have seen inside that nightclub, where Omar Mateen killed at least 49 people and wounded 53 more. 

"The bodies are still in there. Right now. They’re still in there," Morrisette said Sunday night. "This is exactly what they’re walking into."

His art piece is titled "No One Is Safe," and he is calling on lawmakers to change that.

"It doesn’t matter if it’s a church or a movie theater or a gay club or an elementary school. All of us at this point should be able to relate to it," Morrisette said.

"I don’t care what you say about all this we cannot have 50 Americans killed in a nightclub and continue to do nothing about it."



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

Clinton Vows to Find, Prosecute 'Lone Wolves'

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Hillary Clinton vowed Monday to make stopping "lone wolf" terrorists a top priority if elected president, saying that while the shooter in the deadly weekend attacks in Orlando may be dead, "the virus that poisoned his mind remains very much alive." 

In a sober national security address in Cleveland, the presumptive Democratic nominee also called for ramping up the U.S. air campaign targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. She pointedly called out U.S. partners in the region by name, saying Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar must stop their citizens from funding terrorism. 

And she vigorously reiterated her call for banning assault weapons, like one of the guns the Orlando shooter used. 

"I believe weapons of war have no place on our streets," she said. 

Clinton's address in Cleveland was supposed to mark the official start of her general election campaign against Republican Donald Trump. But Sunday's shooting altered her plans and she avoided direct attacks on her GOP rival, declaring, "Today is not a day for politics." 

Still, much of Clinton's comments were aimed at drawing policy and temperamental contrasts with Trump. The businessman's initial responses to the Orlando attacks included accepting "congrats" for "being right" about the terror threat facing the U.S. He also redoubled his calls for temporarily banning Muslims from the U.S. and increasing surveillance of mosques — policies that have concerned even some of his fellow Republicans. 

"We have to have a ban on people coming in from Syria and different parts of the world with this philosophy that is so hateful and so horrible," Trump said Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America." 

Because the shooter was American-born and lived in Florida, Trump's ban would not have prevented the shooting. 

The presumptive Republican nominee was to speak on national security later Monday in New Hampshire. He had planned to use the speech to make his case against Clinton, as well as her husband Bill Clinton, but he, too, changed his focused after the shooting. 

Authorities say Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American-born Muslim, was responsible for the horrific attacks. FBI Director James Comey said that Mateen had "strong indications of radicalization" and was probably inspired by foreign terrorist organizations, though there was no evidence Monday that he had been directed by a network to carry out the attacks. 

These apparent "lone wolf" attackers have deeply worried counterterrorism officials because they often leave fewer intelligence trails to monitor. Clinton said she would put together teams of government and private sector officials to try to identify lone wolf terrorists and ensure law enforcement agencies have the resources they need for such efforts.

In his morning television interviews, Trump redoubled his call for banning Muslims, although Mateen was an American citizen born in New York. While Trump focused in particular on keeping out refugees from Syria, he said a ban should apply to people from "different parts of the world with this philosophy that is so hateful and so horrible." 

The presumptive Republican nominee also appeared to suggest that President Barack Obama may sympathize with Islamic terrorists — a stunning statement about the current commander in chief. 

"He doesn't get it or, or he gets it better than anybody understands," Trump said on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends." ''It's one or the other. And either one is unacceptable." 

Trump said there were thousands of people living in the United States "sick with hate" and capable of carrying out the same sort of massacre. 

"The problem is we have thousands of people right now in our country. You have people that were born in this country" who are susceptible to becoming "radicalized," the billionaire real estate mogul said on Fox. He claimed there are Muslims living here who "know who they are" and said it was time to "turn them in." 

Trump's longstanding proposal to temporarily ban foreign-born Muslims from entering the United States has triggered outrage from Democrats and Republicans alike, who see it unconstitutional, un-American and counterproductive. But it has helped him win over many primary voters who fear the rise of Islamic extremism and believe that "political correctness" — the fear of offending Muslims — is damaging national security.



Photo Credit: AP

'We Are All Orlando Tonight': Hundreds Gather in Hillcrest

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Less than 24 hours after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, hundreds of people gathered in Hillcrest Sunday evening to memorialize the people who lost their lives and to just be together in solidarity.

The Hillcrest pride flag and the American flag, both at half-staff, loomed over the somber ceremony as people sang, prayed and comforted.

A larger police presence kept a silent but notable watch over the vigil as people honored the victims nearly 2,500 miles away.

Starting at 2 a.m. Sunday, gunshots rang out in a popular gay night club in Orlando.

At least 50 people lost their lives, and more than 50 others are now in the hospital.

"Any hate crime in general is a hate crime against all of us as a society and as humanity," Sabrina Duong said at the vigil. 

"We will never, ever give in...to that type of hate," Mayor Kevin Fauconer said in front of the crowd. "We are all Orlando tonight." 

Dr. Delores A. Jacobs, chief executive officer of The San Diego LGBT Community Center wrote a statement in reaction to the shooting Sunday. It reads, in part:

"We are simply devastated at the news of this horrific loss of life in Orlando. Unfortunately, our LGBT community is far too familiar with violence. This shooting during LGBT Pride month is now the deadliest mass shooting in United States history."

"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their friends and families. This weekend, and over the coming days, our community around the country will hold vigils and other commemorations of support, solidarity and strength."

Monday night a #OrlandoStrong rally is scheduled at the San Diego LGBT Community Center at 3909 Centre Street at 6:30 p.m. followed by a candlelight vigil.

The center offers counseling services through its Behavioral Health Services program. People who need to speak with an on-duty counselor or would like to request an appointment should email onduty@thecentersd.org or call (619) 692-2077, ext. 208.



Photo Credit: NBC 7
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Paying Tribute to the Orlando Shooting Victims

CHP: Topless Woman Struck, Killed on NB Interstate 5 in National City

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A pedestrian was struck and killed Monday along northbound Interstate 5 in the National City area.

The woman was topless as she walked across the highway near 8th Street at approximately 4:20 a.m. according to California Highway Patrol officers.

A car struck the woman and she landed 80-100 feet away from the collision. Investigators said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car remained at the scene, CHP officials said.

Several lanes of I-5 were closed for the investigation.

CHP officers described the woman as a transient.

No other information was immediately available.

Oakland Police Sex Scandal Widens

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A sex scandal involving Oakland police has spread to other area police departments, with the woman at the center of it claiming she had sex with two dozen current and former officers in five cities, a newspaper investigation published Sunday found.

The woman, a Richmond resident who was not named, told the East Bay Times that she slept with three of the 24 officers before she turned 18 last August.

She also told the newspaper that two Oakland officers provided her confidential police information, including tips on scheduled anti-prostitution stings and arrest records and other confidential information. In addition, she says a retired Oakland police captain in his 80s paid $250 to have sex with her in a motel. The captain and several other officers named did not return calls for comment.

The scandal, involving at least 14 Oakland police officers, is a blow to a department that has been under federal oversight because of failures to adequately hold officers accountable for misdeeds.

Oakland police Chief Sean Whent stepped down Thursday and gave no specific reason for his resignation. Multiple sources told the newspaper the department's federal overseer, Robert Warshaw, pressured him to resign.

The woman, who began selling herself on the streets of Richmond at age 12 and eventually ended up in Oakland's International Boulevard, a well known sex-trafficking hub, said many officers knew she was underage.

"They nicknamed me 'juve,' which is short for juvenile," said the woman, whose mother is an Oakland police dispatcher.

The woman, who first spoke to the East Bay Express, said she also slept with five Richmond police officers, four Alameda County Sheriff's deputies, one Livermore officer and a law enforcement worker based in Stockton.

She said the first officer she met was Oakland Police Officer Brendan O'Brien. The two began a sexual relationship after he defended her from a pimp and others soon followed. Police opened up an investigation after O'Brien committed suicide last year and left a note naming officers involved with the woman.

"They were my protectors," she said. "I didn't have a pimp at the time. It did make me feel safer, having them."



Photo Credit: Getty

Pope Lashes Out Over Guns Moving With 'Absolute Freedom'

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Pope Francis has chastised the political decisions and skewed ideologies that make weapons easily accessible, while aid distribution faces numerous obstacles, NBC News reported.

He was speaking at a United Nations World Food program event Monday and told the audience weapons circulate around the world with "brazen" freedom.

The pope's remarks came one day after the Orlando nightclub massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.



Photo Credit: AP

Stories of Bravery Amid Horror at Pulse Nightclub

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Luis Burbano had escaped from the bullets flying across the dance floor at the Pulse nightclub into a narrow alley and through a hole in a fence when he stopped to help a young man who collapsed in front of him.

"I grabbed him not realizing that his forearm was split in two," Burbano told CNN. "Then I realized he had a gash on his side as well."

Burbano quickly took off his shirt to use as a tourniquet and, as he talked to the young man to keep him calm, he realized another man was pacing back and forth. And that man had a bullet in his leg, he said.

"I did a tourniquet really quick on him as well," said Burbano, an employee of Florida International University, according to his Facebook page. "I had them both by my side until the paramedics came."

Stories of bravery like Burbano's are emerging from the terror in Orlando, Florida, that began inside the gay nightclub around 2 a.m. Sunday when 29-year-old Omar Mateen, armed with an AR-15 rifle and a handgun, opened fire. At least 49 people were killed and dozens wounded by the time Mateen was killed by a SWAT team.

His motive for attacking the club is still under investigation, authorities say. In a 911 call immediately before the slaughter, Mateen swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. His father told NBC News that Mateen had been infuriated earlier when he saw two men kissing.

Joshua McGill, a nursing student, wrote on his Facebook page that as he hid under a car with a man who had been shot, he tied shirts over the wounds to stop the bleeding.

"[A]nd got him secretly to the nearest officer who then transported us to the ER," he wrote. "Words cannot and will not describe the feeling of that. Being covered in blood.. Trying to save a guy's life that I don't even know regardless that I'm fine..just traumatized."

The man was later identified as Rodney Sumter, a bartender at Pulse who was struck in his arms and back. On Monday morning one of his cousins wrote to McGill to say that Sumter was in good spirits, waiting for surgery.

"Thank you so much for saving his life," Trina Brown Linning wrote. "If you had not stopped to help him, he could have easily bled to death. God bless you and your family."

Christopher Hansen, a newcomer to Orlando, thought at first that the shooting was part of the music.

"I looked over and I saw bodies falling, people screaming," he said. "The person next to me was shot and the blood splattered and then I fell down."

When he got out of the club, he took off his bandanna for a man whose pant leg was drenched in blood, he told NBC News.

A DJ at the club, Ray Rivera or DJ Infinite, mistook the shooting for firecrackers until he turned off the music, he told The Daily Beast. When club-goers began to scream and run, he ducked behind his DJ booth and was quickly joined by a man and a woman. The man made a run for it, but Rivera helped the woman escape.

"I never imagined I would be at anything like this," he told The Daily Beast. "It was so terrible."

Emilie Plesset contributed research for this article.



Photo Credit: Steven Fernandez/AP
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