the state, the orange county police department, the sheriff's department, fdle, all the federal agencies. everybody has coordinated their activities very well. it's heroic the individuals that went into the building knowing there was an active shooter. so we need to be very thankful that there are individuals willing to risk their lives to save other lives and clearly saved other lives. for anybody that thinks that they should do this, i can tell you the state of florida, the local law enforcement will be swift in their justice. we have great law enforcement in our state and they're always going to do the right thing. i declared a state of emergency for orange county. we're going to provide all the resources that anyone needs. but i can tell you everybody is going to work together.

that's one thing great about our state, orlando, orange county. i want to thank all the federal agencies for all their support. but right now our hearts and prayers go out to everybody that's been impacted. i can't imagine a family member that is still waiting to find out what happened to their loved one. it has to be heart wrenching. i know the state attorney wanted to say something. >> i just want to thank the governor for coming down to join us. this is a terrible, evil act. as the father of seven, i called and checked on some of my kids this morning to make sure they're okay. we're doing everything we can. law enforcement is working well together. our victim advocates are helping out to see if we can help with families. i just encourage everyone, as i did my staff, to please donate blood because we're going to need a lot of it. i want to thank the local law enforcement officers for the amazing job they have been doing. thank you, sir. >> i'll be glad to take any

questions. excuse me just for a second. the law enforcement has already said and the mayors have said when they're going to have another press conference where they'll provide a lot of information. at that time they'll be able to answer the questions. n [ inaudible question ] >> i know there's a later press conference. law enforcement will answer all those questions. [ inaudible question ] >> this is clearly an act of terror. you just can't imagine this would happen to our community, our state or anywhere in our country. but for somebody to go in there and be an active shooter a take that number of lives -- any life, but that number of lives and injure that many people is clearly as act of terror. [ inaudible question ]

>> right now this is the time to find out exactly what happened, it's a time to pray for those that have been -- that have lost their families that have lost their lives, pray for the victims. there's going to be plenty of time to deal with how our society comes together. i can tell you, the orlando area, the orange county, the state of florida, we're very resilient. you know, we will come together and do everything we can to help everybody that's been impacted, but also bring this community back together again. [ inaudible question ] >> i have not talked to him yet. [ inaudible question ] >> sure. we declared a state of emergency to make sure that all the resources that would be necessary for the city and the county would be necessary, anything that would be needed from the state is available immediately. the head of the florida

department of law enforcement, we worked with the mayors and sheriffs and police chief to make sure they have all the resources they need. [ inaudible question ] >> law enforcement will answer all those questions. they're having another press conference at 1:30. >> governor, do you know how many families of the victims have been contacted at this point? >> i know that -- again, all that will come out as law enforcement will clear all that out but i know they're working hard to reach every family member and also they have victim advocates, as the state attorney said, to take care of all these families. you just can't imagine, i have daughters and i have grandchildren. i can't imagine this happening to our family. [ inaudible question ] >> it's devastating. you don't want this to happen anywhere in the world, okay. but, you know, i can tell you law enforcement, our elected officials, the mayors, at the state level, we coordinate our activities hoping this would

never happen. we work with the federal government hoping this would never happen. but it's devastating when you see how many people lost their life and just the impact it's going to have on their families. you know, i've got kids. and grandkids. you can't imagine. >> will you be meeting with the families yourself, governor? >> i will meet with the families at the appropriate time. you know, look what they're going through right now. >> we're hearing that there was some kind of -- [ inaudible ] >> i think -- the way i understand, that's been resolved. >> is there anything that you can do on a policy level to stop something like this from occurring? >> look, we're dealing with a tragedy right now. our prayers go out to everybody impacted. law enforcement is doing their job.

there will be plenty of time to think about how do we make -- continue to improve our society and we'll continue to work on how we do that. we're a resilient state. bye-bye. >> i'll answer your one hipaa question real quick. the ceo of the hospital said they had an issue related to the families that had come to the emergency room. because of hipaa regulations they could not give them any information. so i reached out to the white house to see if we could get the hipaa regulations responded so the hospital could communicate with the families that were there. [ inaudible question ] i don't know. i think the majority of them have been. we have not identified the victims that are still in the nightclub. but i believe that the ones that have been transported to the hospital and are deceased have been identified. thank you.

>> have you spoken with the president? >> i have spoken with the president, the governor. everybody has lent their support to this. the president offered any resources that the federal government could possibly provide. the fbi has just been tremendous. the fdle has been tremendous. so no complaints about our state partners and our federal partners and their help. thank you. [ inaudible question ] well, the waiving of the hipaa laws so that the doctors and health care personnel can communicate with family members was probably the most important, but we've got on the ground what we need from the federal government right now, which is the fbi and all of their resources and the coordination with fdle and opd. there's not too much more i could ask of them. they were here immediately in response. they have done a lot of response into the shooter that they'll be

prepared, i think, to update you on. the next press conference is probably around 2:00. thank you. >> all right. you've been watching a press conference with florida officials, including governor rick scott and orlando mayor buddy dyer. this is a live picture now of the pulse nightclub in south orlando. if you're just joining us, about 2:00 this morning local time, shots rang out when omar mateen, a 29-year-old man from port st. lucie, florida, walked into the popular gay club with an ar-15 assault-style rifle and a handgun and started shooting. he was immediately encountered by a uniformed orlando police officer who was working security at the club. they exchanged gunfire. that led to a three-hour hostage standoff at which point 5:00 in the morning east coast time the s.w.a.t. team was sent in. omar mateen was killed but not before 50 people died inside the club. 53 more were injured.

carlos row sasario was there whe heard 20 rounds of gunfire. he said the only reason he is alive is because he was out on that patio and he's been generous enough to spend some time with us. carlos, i'm so glad you're here talking with us right now. tell us what you saw and heard last night. >> yeah. first of all, i want to thank you for having me on and i also want to send my condolences to the families that lost so many lives today and for those that are injured. but to get back to the patio, i actually was inside on the main dance floor. i was getting ready to order a cocktail or a drink, but i felt like it was a little too packed inside, so i actually walked out to the patio where there was less people so i can be able to order my last drink. as i was putting my order in, i was leaning over the counter talking to one of my best

bartenders, holly, and that's when the first of 20 to 30 rounds went off. the first two rounds when it went off, everybody didn't really move because they thought it was part of the music because the music was so loud. and then when it kept on going, i think everybody's instinct went to this is not music, these are gunshots. and that's when everyone on the main dance floor just started running out of pulse through an emergency exit. i mean it was like something off of a movie. everybody was falling on each other. it was very hard. people were trying to help other people get out. we already got outside of the patio, i made it out and then i found this young gentleman, he was about 27 or so, his name is junior. he threw himself on me and he just asked me to save him. i didn't at that time, wasn't

registering everything because i was so in shock. and when he fell to the floor on his stomach, i realized that he was hit. he had a gunshot wound to his back. and i am a medical assistant, i've been in the field for about two years now. i also worked add a cardiovascular specialist so i knew that i needed to make sure that he didn't bleed out, that he was conscious and still alert so when the ambulance people come they'll be able to take care of him and get him started. i held pressure on his wound for about 20 minutes or so and still checking in with him, keeping him calm. thank god a paramedic got there on time and pulled out the gentleman and was able to put him on the stretcher and send him out to the ambulance. once when i thought the coast was clear, i kept walking and i honestly feel like i was there for a reason. a second young lady threw herself on me again and she

actually had a gunshot wound to the right hand and the forearm. the only thing that she asked for, she wasn't asking for help, she wasn't asking for anything, all she was asking was to call her mother. she had lost her phone from running so fast, she just left everything and tried to get out. she didn't have her phone and she just wanted to speak with her mom. she was turning very, very pale and i got very worried, so my first initial reaction was first to stabilize her and make sure she's okay, lay her down, and then continue on with getting the conversation with her mom. i can honestly say the conversation between a mom and a daughter in such a devastation moment, it was the most hardest thing i've ever experienced in my life. >> carlos, can you share any of that what conversation was like? >> yes. it was the most beautiful conversation i heard before. she was just telling her mom how much she loved her. she was just explaining at the top of her lungs, just letting

her mom know the love that she had for her. it was so heartbreaking because even though she was saying those messages, i didn't want her to give up and i didn't want her mom to give up on her. i didn't want them to say their last good-bye because i felt like that's what was going to come next. so i sprung into action, took the phone and i immediately told the mom i'm going to help her, i'm going to get her through this and i want you to stay with me. i want both of you guys to stay with me. and, you know, they were both talking back and forth. i was trying to make small talk in between the conversations to get their mind off of it and we were trying to get a paramedic to our side but because it was closed off, we actually had to lift her up. it was me and four other people and walk maybe half of a mile down to the next ambulance to be able to get her medical attention because at that time my goal was to make sure that a mother would be able to see her

daughter another day. >> good for you, carlos. you said she was shot in the hand. was she hit anywhere else? how critical was her condition at that point? >> her condition was -- it was stable. i can honestly say it was towards the arm. the person that i was really truly worried the most was junior, because he did get shot in his back and there's a lot of vital organs there. it was a little scary making sure that he stayed with me the whole time. >> have you heard any update on junior's condition? >> i have not. i actually look forward to -- i'm going to be researching and seeing whether he is at. i would love to meet him again and see how he's doing. hopefully he's doing great. >> carlos, i'll say to you what we said to josh who we talked to a few minutes ago. you're a hero. you stabilized two people and maybe saved their lives. what was that instinct for you? same thing i asked josh, what kicked in that caused you not to run for your own life but to

stop and save a couple of others? >> what came through my mind is -- i actually had a moment where i paused and said if i was shot, where would i look for help for? who would i be able to depend on? it hit home and i said, you know what, i believe in god. i have a very huge faith in god and i know that i'm needed out there alive for a reason. and i said i'm not going to take this for granted, i'm going to put him to work and help those around me to get better becau because -- i wanted to make sure that everyone's family could see their child back home and still continue their lives, you know. >> well, i have a feeling you'll be hearing from her and her mom again very soon. people you were with in the club, carlos, anyone else that you know, any friends that were hit or injured last night? >> yes. i was actually with one of my

friends whose name is isaiah. his mom is an amazing person, she's so full of spirit, she loves going out with us. but hanging out with us. while the shooting was happening, unfortunately she was inside located with her son. the first instinct that she had when the gunshots went off were to get on the floor and lay down. but, you know, you can only -- you can only do so much with what you have at that time and she ended up getting a really big shot to her hand and her leg. that was one of the scariest points. i was with her a couple of minutes before that laughing and smiling. it just shows you that one day you can be here and 20 seconds later you might not. >> carlos, did you get any glimpse of the shooter as he began shooting or were you too busy fleeing the sound of

gunfire? >> i honestly will say i was fleeing from the gunshot sounds. i didn't want to take time to see the shooter. i tried my best to help. i felt like he would need the opposite of help. i wanted to help everybody. i wanted everybody to get out. >> and you did your best. that was a building full of heroes last night and carlos rosario, you're one of them. thank you for taking the time with us and thank you for what you did inside that club last night. >> i definitely don't want to take all the praise. i definitely believe everybody is here for a reason. we've all got to take our life and just think about the good things and just keep moving forward. condolences again to all the families. i am so sorry for everything that happened. this is a horrible day. i know that we'll get through

this eventually and we're going to come out bigger and tougher at the end. we're going to all come as a communi community. >> you and others were rays of light in that darkness last night. thanks so much, we appreciate it. let's turn to sean henry, an nbc news can list. sean, this is the first we've spoken to you. you've had some time to absorb it all, almost 11 hours since the first shots were fired at 2:00 in the morning eastern time at the pulse nightclub in orlando. what's your assessment based on everything you've heard so far? >> hi, willie. like everybody else just kind of watching and taking in all of the activity here and trying to answer a lot of questions. i'm thinking about as an fbi official the types of things that law enforcement on the ground, the first responders, the local pd there as well as other federal officials are

considering. and i know that there's a question immediately about what the motivation is here. there's been some speculation this is terrorism. from what i've heard from the fbi, some of the officials who have gone public, it appears that there may have been some connectivity on social media. but this is very, very early in the investigation. it's going to take some time. but the agents there, law enforcement, are exploiting social media and looking at the individual that they have identified thus far, whether he's a lone shooter or there might be others. they're trying to understand if there's a larger web of individuals who may be involved. as they start to collect and gather this information, this intelligence, by the social media footprint, coordination with foreign intelligence services, to the extent that there are any, and looking at -- they'll start to execute search warrants on his residence and his vehicle to try to collect and gather anything that might go towards the motivation here.

it is early on there, absolutely looking at this as terrorism. that's an initial leaning in a situation like this when you look at the totality of the circumstances, the ultimate motivation will be determined as this investigation continues, willie. >> as you know, sean, terrorism is an awfully big category. it can be all kinds of terrorism. obviously if i take 50 lives, that's an act of terrorism. what specifically do you think the fbi means by terrorism right now? domestic terrorism, some link to international terrorism? >> so when the fbi talks about domestic terrorism versus international terrorism, it really is what the inspiration is. if it's tied to an international organization like al qaeda or isis, then the bureau considers that international terrorism. when they talk about domestic terrorism, they're talking about domestic-based groups. somebody like the kkk or an organization such as that, that is based domestically. that's how the bureau will categorize that.

in theourse of this investigation, they will be looking at all the ties they can to what may have inspired him to do this. what was the motivation. and as they start to connect those links, then they will train their resources on opportunities to collect the best intelligence to provide a much fuller understanding of this incident, willie. >> sean, pull back the curtain a little bit for our viewers. what kind of communications are happening around the world between united states law enforcement officials and officials in neighboring countries, places that we have relationships with. what is happening right now? what are they looking at specifically? >> as we've talked about, the fbi has legal attaches in more than 70 offices and agents stationed there physically and their specific job day in and day out is to work and coordinate with foreign intelligence agencies, foreign law enforcement agencies in a situation where there may be u.s. interests at stake and those foreign services have

intelligence that's of value to the fbi here. that's a two-way street. the fbi certainly was sharing intelligence that they had in paris and in brussels a few months ago with the attacks there. so the coordination and the ability for the global intelligence services to come together and look for any shred of evidence, any bit of information that might highlight and shed light on the motivation for this attack and, most importantly right now, willie, any other connected attacks. what we saw previously in europe, in brussels and france, in those cases there were other attacks that had been planned. again, not clear here that this is directly tied to terrorism, but without a doubt law enforcement is looking forward, trying to be proactive, collecting intelligence to helping them disrupt any other potential attacks that may be in place. >> still too early to say for sure but there's a lot of pieces coming together.

thanks so much, i'm sure we'll be back with you later. nbc news spoke with omar mateen's father just a few hours ago. he is saying we are asaying we are apologizing for the whole incident. we werntd aware of any action he is taking. we are in shock like the whole country. this had nothing to do with religion, end of quote from mateen's father. his father goes on to say that his son got very angry recently when he saw two men kissing in downtown miami a couple of months ago and he thinks that may have caused this. he said this. we were in downtown miami bayside. people were playing music. he saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and got very angry. they were kissing each other and touching each other and he said look at that, in front of my son they are doing that. then we were in the men's bathroom and men were kissing each other, end quote. the father said he did not care, but omar was very upset. he said, quote, now looking back, maybe that's why he went after a gay club. as we've been telling you all

morning, the pulse nightclub, a very popular gay club in orlando. let's go back now to pete williams. he's been on this story all morning for us. pete, what's your latest? >> well, a couple of things, first of all, to pick up on what you just said and to resolve this confusion that the father's last name is siddiqi and the son's last name is mateen. mateen ten years ago successfully petitioned to change his name. he changed it to omar mi mir seddiqi mateen. it was ten years ago. that tells us that the family has been in florida at least ten years. law enforcement is now at the home we're told where mateen lived. they're either preparing to search it, waiting for a search warrant or actually beginning to conduct that search now. that is something that you would expect after an incident like this as the investigation into

his past begins. one thing that we've also been discovering here from looking at court records is that mateen had a security guard's license, firearms license. the significance of that is it would tell us that he is very familiar with firearms. according to florida rules, to get that kind of a license, anyone who applies for it and maintains it has to do a certain amount of gun range shooting, has to fire a certain number of rounds, demonstrate proficiency with firearms. so this is someone who was familiar with firearms and familiar with how to use them. now, whether he fired at the gun range an ar-15 rifle, which is what police say he used in this shooting, we don't know. we've been told by law enforcement that the weapon that they recovered at the scene had high capacity magazines. these are the clips, if you will, that hold the rounds that attach to the firearm.

there's no restriction on high-capacity magazines in florida. and we're told that the tracing of these weapons is just now beginning. as for what this is, which is the big question here. is this a hate crime based on the comments the father made? was this an act of terrorism? was there some layering of the two? in other words, was he sort of predisposed to have strong anti-gay sentiments because of some sort of islamic religious propaganda? that's something that they're looking into. the initial assessment we had several hours ago from law enforcement was that they knew his name, he had been in the database, they had looked at him a couple of years ago because of people he was associated with, but they didn't see at that point a connection to international terrorists. in other words, they had not found any evidence at that point of someone directing this from overseas, so was he reading social media, was he reading this propaganda, all these

questions are to be answered, willie. >> just to pick up on your reporting, too, pete on that firearms license, it's a class g license that requires 20 hours of mandatory gun range training. he would have had to fire 144 rounds on a range as part of that training and testing. so this was a man who likely knew what he was doing with a gun in his hand. if you're just joining us now as we come up on the top of the hour, we are covering the worst mass shooting in the history of this country. at least 50 people are dead, according to police in orlando, florida. 53 more are injured, many of them critically. it took place at pulse nightclub, a popular gay club in orlando. the shooting began at approximately 2:00 in the morning when the man we've been talking about, omar mateen, walked to the club. in his possession he had an ar-15 assault-style rifle, a handgun and began shooting. he was encountered by a

uniformed orlando police officer who was work as security. he engaged mateen in a firefight. it didn't end there, though. mateen continued and there was a three-hour hostage standoff. at 5:00 in the morning eastern time there in orlando, the decision was made to send in the s.w.a.t. team, at which point mateen was killed, but not before taking 50 lives of people out at a nightclub on saturday night. mateen was born in 1986, 29 years old. lived in port st. lucie, florida, a united states citizen born in new york. authorities are looking into whether or not he had radical influences. officials say it is being investigated as a domestic act of terror. over the last hour or so, we've been talking to some eyewitnesses, people who were inside the club as this act of terror, as this horror swept through the club. i spoke with joshua mcgill, a witness to the shooting, and helped rescue people last night. i began by asking him where he was when the shooting started.

>> my two roommates and i were in the very corner of the main bar near the patio exit. so it's like basically there's an outdoor bar and we were kind of next to the door leading out. when the shooter happened, we didn't see anything and we didn't really think it was a shooting at first because we didn't see -- no one seemed to really be frantic. but then we still all kind of ducked to the loud noise. so we crept outside to the back patio area, gathered our thoughts and then we heard a couple more gunshots. that's when we saw people running saying, you know, there's a gun, there's a shooter, and then people are hopping over the back patio fence to run away. at this time there's police already setting up perimeters for safe zones, et cetera.

my roommates and i actually originally ran into the pulse employee area, which was like a back door, and we were kind of hiding out in there. then we heard shooting get closer from inside so we ran back out and that's when we hopped the fence. when we hopped the fence, my two roommates bolted. i was still a little staggering because it was a high fence for me to jump over. during my run across the parking lot i did hear more shooting and so my first instinct was to jump behind a car and duck during that process is when i decided to crawl under the car and i just waited it out. once the shooting got further from what it sounded like, i kind of gave a peek around and crawled out. that's when i noticed, i guess, another club goer. he was kind of staggering.