with the lights flashing, and we have a police helicopter up in the sky, although it might be on its way out right now. no word on what that means at the moment. you have a substantial parameter around the nightclub and witnesses and knows who were around the periphery. it was prouded and about 2:00 in the morning and the crowd was going, and one man said he ran to the bathroom with a crowd of people, and they heard the shots with the music until it was silent. people were screaming, and there was a lot of fear and confusion inside the nightclub. did not know how much time passed until the police opened the door to the bathroom and told everybody to get out.

and one man described climbing over bodies in order to get out of the nightclub and assisted the wounded, and even taking the bandana off of his head to use as a tourniquet. sounds like a very chaotic and scary scene inside that nightclub and a lot of confusion out there among those that were in the nightclub. >> right now we will take a listen to some of the witness accounts. shock,

level six is the worst within the whole state of new mexico. >> today we tag along with deputy warden joni brown on her way to deal with one of level vi's most notorious inmates. >> they have an inmate who is refusing to leave his cell. at this point they're going to go in and give him a directive

to cuff up and come out. if not, then we're planning the use of force for cell extraction. >> turn around and be restrained. >> no. >> if you don't turn around and be restrained we'll have to forcibly remove you from your cell. are you going to come out? >> what's going to happen now? >> they're going to instruct them to come in and remove him from the cell.

>> 5:24 p.m., we're here for inmate kevin blanco 41918 who has refused several directions to be restrained and escorted out of his cell. at this time a cell extraction team has been set up to remove him from his cell. at this time we're going to proceed to the cell. blanco -- in your cell. >> here's the door cover. blanco is giving no response. >> blanco, turn around and be restrained. >> he covered it up. >> blanco, turn around and be restrained. chemical weapons will be deployed into your cell. good morning. we have more details about the shooting that happened a short time ago at a nightclub and initial reports suggests multiple gunshots.

there's still activity around the clubhouse and area. we have had eyewitness accounts. the facebook reads everybody get out of pulse and keep running, and we do have sarah doll kwreuf at the scene. she has talked with people saying there are police there and there was a helicopter on the scene as well. eyewitness accounts said they possibly heard multiple shots inside. we are going to go to the scene live in orlando. what can you tell us about the scene now. >> reporter: within the last few minutes, there was the sound of a large explosion here on the scene. we don't know -- right now i can't tell you if it was a bomb or controlled explosion, if it's related to this incident, but what i can tell you, just a few minutes before we heard that noise we did see the police

helicopter which has been circling above the scene for an hour now, and that helicopter left the area and several minutes later we heard the noise of the single explosion just outside of downtown orlando. police still heavy, heavy presence, a large parameter around the scene. and we have been talking to these eye witnesses and they are describing a scene of horror around the nightclub, and there have been events going downtown all day and the party continued to this nightclub where people were dancing and enjoying the evening, and then all of a sudden they heard multiple shots fired, and a guy ran to the bathroom and said there was a pause, more shots, a pause, more shots, and then silence. he doesn't know how long they waited but the police came and let them out of the bathroom and

told them to run. another man describing the wounded saying he had to crawl out of bodies to get out of the nightclub. this is very much, from our vantage point, an active scene. police were supposed to give a press conference an hour ago and that was delayed so we have not gotten any concrete information on the operations going on inside the parameter, but multiple wounded and then we witnessed an explosion a few minutes ago. >> we saw police cars and now we are looking at ambulances. has there been any movement, ambulances moving out and police cars moving in? >> reporter: we have not seen any ambulances coming and going and it's possible they have been going in and out from a

different area. we did see a truck labeled arson and bomb squad drive on to the scene, so if they believe there's an explosive on the scene, it would make perfect sense because of the very wide parameter here. >> i know you were talking to some of the witnesses. what seems to be their frame of mind? how do they seem to be handling this? >> reporter: they are in pure shock. one of the men i was talking to, he was hiding in the bathroom and he kept saying, you don't understand, you don't understand. and many are trying to reach the groups they were with and they are not having success with that, and it's a feeling of shock and waiting for and praying for good news.

>> have the police put witnesses where they are just waiting so they can get no information? >> reporter: no, the people we talked to have been pushed to the outer limits of the scene and they are still here because they are waiting to hear news about their friends. >> you mention people have been pushed on the outer parameter and there had been an explosion. how far had the scene been extended where the police cordoned off the area now? >> we have a little less than half a mile from the nightclub. they have not just further pushed it back, it's been this large since the beginning so people have not been pushed back further, and the media has been allowed closer than the public. >> sarah, we have sound from one

of the witnesses, so let's take a listen. >> this is my first nightclub, being out and being here two months and this was an experience, and i am wet, i don't know if it's sweat or what. >> what did you hear? >> loud gunshots, music, and it went with the beat almost until you heard too many shots, it was like, bang, bang, bang, bang, and then you just know, chaos -- it was in turmoil. there had to have been more than one two, or an extended clip. i don't know much about guns but it could have been an handgun, and i have been to a gun range once or twice and that's kind of what it sounded like, without the earmuffs, it sounded so

real. it had to have been in the room where it was on the edge by the stage, but also the shows were over and it was probably 1:30. >> were you here alone or with friends? >> i came with somebody and they left and i stayed. >>. >> i am not from here. >> how do you feel? >> in shock. shaking a little bit. i didn't think i would ever have to save somebody who was shot. i am glad i was not shot. i feel sorry for those that were and for families that did have victims in there. it's a sad situation. just seeing everybody laying there red and yellow.

[ inaudible ] >> i helped to put a guy on the stretcher and then another girl i helped and i told her i was not leaving her until they move you, and i told them i would help you with the other people, and you can hear the shooting when we were out in the parking lot, and they were still in there, and i don't know if one was empty and another refilling, another refill, and it was a very, very sad situation. trying to hold back my emotions, to be honest. i didn't expect -- you don't expect something like especially when you go out to have a good time and you don't go out to a bar to say, oh, i am going to end my life tonight, but you go to enjoy yourself and let go of the stresses of life, and this

is a tragic situation, and to go from a horror movie to a real horror, it's shocking. >> if you had to count how many shots do you think there were? >> more than 20 or 30. it was just one after another after another after another, and it could have lasted a whole song. after everybody was out, the shootings were still going and the cops were going, go, go, clear the area, clear the area. and i went, like, holy [ bleep ]. i jumped a couple times because i was not sure if there was a person with a gun, because you don't know who is what and who is where and you are like, oh, man, and you can't go anywhere because in valet they have your keys in the thing. >> did you see gunfire? >> i didn't see gunfire or shooters, i heard everything and

i hit the ground and just called out, because i was right by -- i was near the exit by the couches, and there was a vip section and then a bathroom right there, so i crawled my way out through the bathroom area. >> a chilling description from an eyewitness inside the club where there was reports of a shooting and injuries there. we will go back to sarah dollup. >> after hearing that explosion, orlando police confirmed it was a controlled explosion on their part and they are not releasing any more details past that, and it was a controlled explosion, a single loud bang, and that grabbed everybody's attention on scene, this following the helicopter that had been hovering overhead and the helicopter left the scene and we heard the bang and explosion and we learned that was a controlled

explosion by the orlando police. >> has anything changed on the ground? any movement with the police cars or ambulances in response to the explosion? >> reporter: we do have more police cars pulling up on the scene and have not scene any ambulances go from our vantage point, and we have two airport k-9 units circling, so still a very active scene here. you heard that dramatic awful eyewitness account of what happened inside and the street is full of law enforcement and eyewitnesses and neighborhood residents filling the periphery around the tape, we hear gunshots, we just heard down the street, 10, 30, gunshots --

sounded like gunshots and i don't see any movement by the police officers here, but we did hear what appeared to sound like gunshots, automatic gun fires one after the other seconds ago. >> are they in the area of where the nightclub is? >> reporter: they would be in the direction of the nightclub, yes, that's correct. we are about .3 miles from the nightclub, and there was a fear of the explosion, and now there is what sounds like gunshots. >> this is not a normal saturday night in orlando. does this area -- is there ever a police presence in the area or is it random this would be happening at a nightclub? >> reporter: from the eye witnesses we have talked to, we said describe this club, and

they said it's so diverse, a gay nightclub, and aimed at the lbgt nightclub, and they just come for a good time. they come for the music and it's a multi-room nightclub and it has been such a big night here in orlando, and the party kept going, and if it's normal to have a police presence, i wouldn't know. this club is not known for trouble but for a good time. >> yeah, the witness said he came to have a good time and it was latin night, and this is not something one would expect. we heard from one witness and i know you spoke to several other witnesses. what is the mood of the witnesses right now? >> reporter: the mood of the witnesses is shock and horror right now. they are trying to account for

the whereabouts of their friends and they can't find them and it's a lot of waiting and hoping and praying at this point. >> sarah, if you would wait for another minute, we are going to the law enforcement adviser for us. this is quite a scene unfolding in orlando, and we had reports of gunshot and sarah just reported more and an explosion. what is your take on the scene? >> looks like the police got there, and s.w.a.t. might have made an entry and engaged someone in the nightclub, you know, the shooter or shooters. they want to get in as fast as they can because if people are wounded in there, they want to get them medical assistant, and people are thinking the shooting is happening, and police are inside, and sometimes tactical officers have to force their way

in, and they use diversionairy flashes, and flash bang entry, and you know, s.w.a.t. to be trying to get in to stop the person or persons from wounding more people, and get the wounded people to medical care. earlier we saw reports, it was pretty close to a regional happen, a block away or so they could get them to medical care quickly, that's really important. and s.w.a.t. commanders will be acting swiftly to get in that situation where they could get the wounded people and stop the person or persons from killing or hurting more people. >> we know this happened around 2:00 a.m. in the orlando area, and there are 30 to 40 police cars and officers and k-9 units

on the streets and a helicopter. you are law enforcement and you have been through this scenario, and what is going through the officers' heads who are in charge as they try to get in the scene. >> by the time that has elapsed, they are all making an assessment is the assailant or assailants still present. and so what they have to do then is, you know, if the person is still present, they have to get to the person and stop them from killing or hurting others. orlando has one of the best s.w.a.t. teams in america, in the world, and they are very talented and they can deal with this and they have to deal with it quickly, and time is neutral in any tactical situation and the onscene commander has to read the time, is it in his

favor or going against him, and he or she knows now time is going against them if the person is still in there, and they like to put the thin blue line between the assailant and those in the club that could have been wounded or people hiding. >> you bring up an interesting point where there could be people still in the club and somebody hiding within the group. one witness said while he was helping people there were still gunshots going off. the police response time was rather quick. in a scenario like that, how can they discern what is going on? 150 people in a crowded club, and people run out and in to find their friends, and how do they get the gunman out of the

area? >> well, you pose the exact right question, because it's up to the patrol officers, the first arriving uniform patrol to squeeze the assailants down, and they may have been able from what you described and the witnesses just described, gunshots still as police were arriving, they may have been able to squeeze the assailant or assailants into a certain area a. room or different location where they know who else is there or if they are alone, or if they have hostages or if people have been killed, and they have a better idea because patrol officers can squeeze it down, and we don't know the answer to this, but this is what police commonly deal with, if they get to a barricaded suspect where he is in a room by himself he can deal with that quicker

than if he is holding people hostage, and negotiators and s.w.a.t. can deal with that as well, and if the assailant or assailants are alive, and they are still in there, s.w.a.t. may come in and take over the onscene commander, reading, hey, we have to get this quickly because we have wounded here that have to be moved. what people don't understand this in these situations, but the police do and s.w.a.t. does, you can bleed to death, so you could have a wound in an arm or leg and if you don't get medical care, you can bleed to death and that's why they move quickly. >> a few moments ago sarah mentioned there was an explosion and they called it a controlled explosion that was in the area of the nightclub. what would be happening during a controlled explosion from your

viewpoint? >> sometimes bomb squad is going to render safe and suspicious package but in the case of sarah's reporting where if she said it was followed by gunfire quickly, more than likely it's s.w.a.t. maneuvers, and they are trying to find the suspect and they could be using diversionary devices. and maybe they have now eliminated the threat, as we say, and it doesn't mean kill the person, but wound the person, arrest the person, kill the person, and when you heard the gunfire, after the controlled explosion. so there's a lot of things that can go on but in a routine s.w.a.t. tactical operation, those sounds are pretty common when s.w.a.t. is trying to get to a location. >> we know this is in the

downtown orlando area and this is a nightclub but also in a residential area. how are the police handling the situation where they are keeping people out of the area and residents and people informed so they don't come in. on facebook, they said run, keep going, keep going, and the club said everybody get out of pulse and keep running, and the police are updating people saying please stay out of the area. what are the police doing at this moment to make sure their area is safe and secure so they can handle the situation inside the nightclub? >> i was a florida uniformed officer years ago, and we used to say we own the night because we were out there more than most people, and most people working in the daytime and in bed at night and resting, and the police can travel quickly across the street, across the city streets, the surface streets, when you are working the night shift, you have a lot of freedom of movement and can get between

scenes quickly and they would be able to set up a parameter, and they have an inner parameter, so they will be able to control it, that's a good question, easier, easier, because of the time of night and near a residential area, they can quickly set up a parameter without a lot of obstructions from daily business traffic, and get the operation going quickly, and s.w.a.t., highly trained and they are going to arrive on scene, and parameter set up and they are going into locate and setting up the long rifle teams and getting r ready, and it's practiced and drilled by every s.w.a.t. team in america, in the world, to deal armed assailants. they are going to be quick doing that, and it looks like orlando police department squad made moves here, and we don't know if it's over, but from the time the

shooting occurred, a couple hours ago, and they have already, you know, been pretty active here and they may have answers they have not shared with us yet. >> we are a few hours into this, and you say the police officers own the night and this is probably easier to handle at nighttime. we will have daybreak in an hour come into orlando and it's going to change the scenario, and what changes for the police if this is still going on in an hour? >> well, if it's over as far as the risk of anybody being killed or injured, then it becomes a giant forensic scene, but they already established their parameter and presence and there could be traffic issues, but we are in a sunday morning so not a lot of business traffic, and church traffic, that won't be a big problem for them. it's going to depend how many people have been injured here, and how big and how slow the

forensic side is. the investigative side has to proceed in a scene like this, and the detectives and backed up by the law enforcement and feder federal agents, and everybody will help, and we don't know any of the answers, is it a lone person or several, and they have to determine all that, besides the forensics processes of any shooting scene. it becomes a large endeavor, and they will work on all of that, and they don't know the motive and what has unfolded here so you will have a lot of behind the scenes. we call the investigative white collar side, and the on scene forensics are seen by the

cameras, the agents and bomb squads, and most of this appears to be inside the nightclub. >> we have been getting reports and we have been following the orlando police and they have taken control in terms of how much media reporting is coming out and what they are reporting and they did confirm there was a controlled explosion by law enforcement and they did comment that they would be keeping people up-to-date, but they have been very, very tight-lipped on everything going on in this area, and most of the police are in the area. if no word is coming out as to what is going on with the police department other than just confirming the noises that the witnesses and people outside the area are now hearing, what is going on within the police? i know you said we have s.w.a.t. there and tactical, but they are maneuvering things. what do you think the police force is doing right now? >> as far as their public statements, the on scene commander is going to be talking with the other commanders, the

chief, and let them know what the status is of the s.w.a.t. operation, is it under control and has the person been shot or wounded and in custody, and they will talk with the public information officer who will brief reporters. they want to get their facts exactly right to what they can say, but if it's ongoing, if the assailants remain inside they will not want to give as much information. the assailants hear, too, and their movements, they don't want to give that away and you don't want to show those on camera, and msnbc, they don't show that.

the sounds themselves, there's no hiding that. pios will be getting the facts ready to release, and commanders will be assessing the scene to see what they can say and they have to set up a family center to deal with the victims and the families and they will do that nearby and that's always a routine thing. >> i want to come back to you because i want to talk about the victims and families and how the witnesses are being handled at this moment, but we are going to go back to sarah doleup. >> reporter: it appears to be a sreu active scene. we have seen law enforcement vehicles go speeding down the street at high rates of speed and you can see all of the police cars lined up with the lights going on and the crime tape. the nightclub, it's about a

quarter of a mile there down the road, and it's past the subway, if you see that subway sign and past the light. part of the reason we are speculating of why we have been kept back so far has to do with the controlled explosion in the last half hour, and what we have scene is more police cars arriving and then the helicopter up ahead left the area a short time later, and a series of stau cotto bursts, and it sounded like gunfire but we have not confirmed that on the scene and we have been talking to eyewitnessesmatic tales to tell. it was latin night at the club and people were having a good time, and it was packed when the gunfire rang out.

one witness said he was not sure it was gunfire and then he saw flashes of light coming from the barrel. another witness tells us he barricaded himself even side a bathroom along with another group of people and he said you heard the club music and the shooting and then a break and then more shooting and then a break and then silence. people were screaming and they were terrified, and police sometime later came and opened the door and told everybody to get out. we have been talking with people on the scene who were separated from their friends and they are trying frantically to get ahold of them to make sure they are okay, and one man i talked to was not having any luck locating any of his friends, and very distraught about this. still a very fluid scene here, as you can see behind me, as we wait to learn more about these explosions, and possible gunfire, and we heard within the last half hour of what is going on exactly inside that

nightclub. >> sarah, is the helicopter still there, still in the area while the controlled explosion was going on? >> reporter: the helicopter has not returned since that controlled explosion. as to what that means, we're not sure at this point. that helicopter did leave moments after it left and cleared the -- here comes a siren. this is an ambulance leaving the scene here. ambulance, full lights and sirens leaving the scene, and police confirmed there's a number of wounded on the scene, and we have not been given numbers but eyewitnesses said they saw a disturbing number of injured, and one man had to crawl over bodies to get out of the nightclub. >> sarah dallof live at the scene at the pulse nightclub where about 2:00 a.m. there was a shooting in the nightclub and

we don't know how many people have been injured and what is going on with the scene. police are surrounding the area, and there was controlled explosion and possible gunshots and we are waiting to see if they will be confirming any more information as to what the police are handling at this time. the club's facebook page previously read when this was all going down, everybody get out of pulse and keep running. again, this happened at about 2:00 a.m. this morning, and police are still on the scene. sarah, i know you said there were about 30 to 40 police cars around the scene and ambulances and k-9 units. we are going to go to james cavanaugh right now who is a former law enforcement and msnbc

antis analysts. >> it's possible, we don't know for sure, it's possible s.w.a.t. made a maneuver and they were able to get the assailant or assailants stopped from hurting anybody else. we don't know if that is why ambulances are released, but it's critical for them and that's why they want to get in there, because if there are wounded in there they have to get them moved out. some people probably got out as sarah reported earlier, some people got out and were treated. you see the paramedics on the street there treating people who have been wounded or who are injured. it's possible, and the police have to tell the public soon, some status, what they are dealing with because they will have family members, and, you know, neighbors and citizens wanting an update. and they will, and they will

give an update of what is going on so some of it you will see and some of it they will tell you. >> we will go back to sarah dallof right now. sarah, what is going on there? >> we just saw two ambulances in the last few minutes pull out, one with lights and sirens, speeding off down the street. still waitinging on a number of injured on the scene, and we have not heard anything from the scene in the last few minutes, so we are waiting for any developments on that, but we are beginning to see the ambulances leave and they are taking off with lights and sirens right now. >> okay. and sarah, please, i am going to keep you on the phone for two more seconds. i want to go back to jim because i want to ask how the police will handle the witnesses and family members and people trying to get in touch with others inside. how do police handle that?

>> it's a family center, and police will get a location where they can deal with family members where they can get briefed about the status of what is going on. you will have a lot of people at hospitals close by, and if there are multiple victims, multiple orlando area hospitals, and as far as witnesses, in a case that has a lot of publicity, is on the news a lot and it's a senseless vicious crime, the witnesses come forward. you don't have to hunt them down for the most part. i mean, a call from the police, public information officer for anybody who was in the club who has not to safety, to police call and go to orlando, you will get almost 100% response because people want to tell what happened and they want to help the police and want to help with

the assault, and the chances are they will come back and tell what they heard. >> that being said, eyewitness accounts would come in handy for police. how can they get the eyewitness accounts when the people in the club said it was crowded and thought it was a joke and then they realized the song ended and the gunshots kept going on, and how will they be able to get accurate descriptions from people in the club with such a chaotic and panicking scenario? >> great question. everybody has a different perspective is the answer and some people are going to be in proximity to the assailants or assailant who described and they will give the best description and the next level of the parameter, or who the assailant or assailants walked by, they will give a description. there will be an eyewitness

accounting from a different perspective, and dark, music, and sound, gunshots, and that's the nature of crime. the witnesses, when they are all interviewed, it can be put back together. if there is any video from outside or inside, that can help. with multiple witnesses and with the forensic processing, you know, if the person already has been taken into custody or killed by the police or wounded by the police, the firearms and what they are carrying. we just saw this assailant in orlando that killed this young singer in this awful crime, he had two guns and a knife and a lot of ammunition. that helps the police to piece together what is going on, what is the motive and what is behind this, and why would somebody do this? forensics and eyewitnesses and video, the detectives will put all that together and have a clear picture, but, of course, the urgency now -- >> we have been talking about

the witnesses and families and we are listening to a mother, and we believe she has somebody possibly still in the club. let's take a listen. >> my son was in the nightclub with his boyfriend and other friends, and i know that his boyfriend has been shot multiple times, and he's in the emergency room, but i don't know why my son is, nobody can tell me why my son is, if he has been shot or dead, nobody knows, but they told me there are fatalities. >> reporter: you have not gotten a phone call? >> i texted him, called him, and he hasn't -- he's not answering the phone. but he was sitting right next to his boyfriend and his boyfriend definitely was shot with multiple gunshots and taken in the ambulance, so -- another friend that was in the bathroom at the time he said he heard over 100 shots and it was still

active, they were not taking any bodies out of the club because they had a potential bomb in there. so i don't know if he is still in the club or if he is incapacitated or dead or being worked on here at the hospital. >> right now we are going live to our affiliate in orlando. >> earlier we did hear a loud explosion at our post here from that scene, which is just less than a mile away, and let's take a listen when we were doing the live report when they detonated the device. >> several other people are -- just on live tv, i am not sure if you were able to hear that back at the station, and we are having issues potentially hearing that, and we heard that

earlier, the explosion happened while we were on live tv just up the road from us. again, we can see more hospital beds and gurneys, and preparing for more srbg uplz coming to the location because they believe more potential victims could be coming out of the nightclub tonight or this morning. to give you a timeline, 2:00 a.m. is when this all first began and we were told by several different investigators, and that is when several emergency vehicles rushed to the area, and the road leading up to pulse nightclub is still blocked off at this point and we do not know whether the shooter has been detained or taken out by police or the status of the person at this point, we don't know that information, and it's one of the most important facets of the entire story, because we are seeing victims come, they are making entrance to get people out? >> absolutely.

and one of the witnesses i spoke with was sure there were two shooters. you mentioned something earlier as well about some sort of perhaps bomb-type of device. what did you hear about that? >> i heard from one of my sources, one of the people who was shooting inside the club, when they first took hostages and was negotiating with the hostage negotiator, this person was wearing a vest that police believed was a bomb and they told police they were wearing a bomb, and this is unconfirmed reports and this is from a law enforcement source that told me this was possibly the case and that's when we started to see the orange county bomb squad and they came to the location to help out with the investigation. we also saw the bomb dogs searching different vehicles without the parking lot and we

saw a specialists dressed in a bomb suit walking around with the dog to make sure there were no explosive devices found and potentially a device was found and it could have been harmless but they did explode that device. looks like they are bringing more gurneys out potentially preparing for more victims to come to the location. several doctors are walking out as well. one of the biggest issues going on out here, people have gathered at this location because they are uncertain whether or not their loved ones were injured or whether or not they are alive or in the hospital, or whether or not they are still locked in there, and a lot of people have not been able to get in contact with their loved ones at this point and that's one of the most scary things that is happening here at this location. a lot of these police officers have been forced to answer questions they simply don't know

the answers to, so this is a developing story and it continues to change as we stand out here. >> yeah, if you are just joining us on a sunday morning, a chaotic scene in downtown orlando right now, and shooting victims being brought to the hospital, and there is -- >> we have been listening to live coverage by our affiliate in orlando, and they are on scene where there had been a shooting. as this has been developing, details have been coming out. police have said there are injuries, and then they just referred to a possible hostage negotiation going on. more details are coming in as this goes on. and area doll kwreuf is on

scene. >> reporter: we have seen ambulances arrive and police officers, and on the scene i would estimate 50 police cars right now and helicopters circling overhead. i was talking earlier about the eyewitnesses that were gathered here and hoping to get information about the status of their friends that they couldn't find, and it sounds like a lot of them are migrating to different hospitals and looking for additional information, and they are describing a scene of horror in the nightclub, and it has been an busy evening in orlando and the club is a couple blocks from downtown. one witness said he was dancing and the gunshots started and he was not sure they were gunshots and thought they might have been part of the song and then saw the flashes from the gun barrel

and realized what was happening. another man describes people running for cover, and a lot of screaming inside the nightclub as people tried to find some form of safety, and that's describe small acts of heroism. and some holding the door open and people pushing down a fence so people could get out. people helping with the wounded in the immediate aftermath, those that could get out, taking their own clothing to create tourniquets, and people helping outside of the nightclub so others could get treatment. we are still waiting from the police the numbers, how many injured and how many dead, and what is going on inside that nightclub right now. we have seen a bomb squad truck

onscene, and we heard an explosion and orlando police confirmed it was a controlled explosion on their part and we are waiting for an update on what transpired in that nightclub and what is going on now. >> i just want to tell you right now that the orlando police are confirming this has been a mass casualty scenario here, and obviously there are more than injuries and there are fatalities involved, and we are not getting any numbers here. we spoke about the controlled explosion and you heard it, you were on the ground when there was a confirmed controlled explosion from the scene of the nightclub and then possible gunshots. have there been any word on what followed after that explosion? >> no word yet. the only thing the orlando police released is that it was a controlled explosion.

initially you hear the explosion on the ground and there were eye witnesses outside the police tape, and the public is seeing what is going on and the fear was we heard there was a bomb, and the orlando police released the information, no it was a controlled explosion. but to be here on the ground, the producer i am working with, she turned to me and her face was white, so it was extremely loud and alarming, and it rattled some of these folks, understandably, who had been in the nightclub earlier this morning who were outside still waiting for news on their friends. very scary for them to hear that. just a few minutes later, we heard bursts, and initially it sounded like gunfire but we have not had that confirmed, though. >> i know you have been covering

this for a few hours and it's in the middle of the night, and 40, 50 police cars and ambulances, and witnesses were coming out but now as the story has been going on and details are coming out, family members are starting to show up and they are trying to get in touch with loved ones inside. what are you hearing from people on the streets of what is going on and what happened in the nightclub? >> reporter: the shock is starting to wear off on some people and they are absorbing what they saw tonight and what they witnessed. one man i was talking to, he just kept saying to me, you don't understand, you don't understand. there were bodies. now we are hearing a confirmation that it's a mass casualty event. what people saw, it's pure horror what they were describi g

describing. blood and having to crawl over bodies to get over the nightclub. people in shock, trying to absorb the events of the last few hours, waiting for information about friends and family members. you saw that interview a couple moments ago, a woman who was looking for information on her son's boyfriend, and just sobbing, and there's no information, and people are left to worry and pray. >> we mentioned the ambulance had been leaving and we cut into coverage from the hospital. how far is the hospital from the nightclub area in downtown orlando, how tight is this area? >> reporter: there are several area hospitals that victims would be taken to, but there's a trauma center less than two blocks from the nightclub where the shooting occurred, so that's an easy place for some people to monitor the hospital and then turn and monitor to see the

scene, and that could be for some of the victims very fortunate it could be so close. >> with the parameter area, i know you mentioned you were about -- within half a mile of the club and we still police cars coming in and going out, and more people hearing about it and coming down, have the police done anything to extend the parameter or keep people further away from the scene so they can handle this? >> reporter: they have not extended the parameter, and they kept us pretty far back from the beginning and the media is being let in further than the general public, and they are asking people, don't come down here, if you don't have any involvement in the case, please stay away right now and let us work the scene and let the families get information. >> i know we have been talking about the witness accounts,

because that's all the information we are getting from the ground. if you could stay with us, we are going to play an eyewitness account from a gentleman inside the club. let's take a listen. >> moving here, this is my first nightclub being out, being here two months and this is the experience. i didn't know it was latin night, and i didn't understand the music but still danced and i am still wet, i don't know if it's sweat or blood and it's still under my nails a little bit. >> what did you hear? >> gunshots, and i was not sure if it was the music, because it went with the beat almost until you heard too many shots, and it was like, bang, bang, bang, bang, and that's when you just know chaos is just -- it was in turmoil. there had to be more than one or two, had to be, or an extended clip. i don't know much about guns, but it was like it could have been a handgun or something, and a gun range, i have been there

once or twice and that's kind of what it sounded like, without the earmuffs, it sounded so real and it was so far away to where it didn't echo my ears, and it was by the go-go, or by the stage. >> were you here alone or with a friend? >> i came here with a friend and they left and i stayed. my car is there and i can't leave until they let us get it. i am not from here, so -- >> how are you feeling? >> shock. ch shaking a little bit. didn't think i would ever have to save somebody that was shot, and i was not shot and i am sorry for those that were shot or have family members in there.

seeing tags, everybody laying there, red and yellow. i helped put a guy on the stretcher and then they moved me out of the way, and then there was a girl they tagged and i said i was not leaving her until they move you, and i told them i will try to help and do what i can because i am okay and you could still hear shooting when we were in the parking lot. the one was empty and the other was refilling and then another refill. it was a very, very, just sad situation, and i'm trying to hold back my emotions to be honest. you don't expect something like this, especially when you go out to have a good time. you don't go to a bar to say, oh, i'm going to end my life tonight, and you go to relax and enjoy yourself and let loose of the stresses of life and not to

cause more stress, and this is just a tragic situation, a tragic moment and i went to see "conjuring 2" and then came here, so to see a horror movie to a real horror, it's shocking. >> if you had to count, how many shots do you think there were? >> more than 20 or 30, and it was just one after another after another after another. it could have lasted a whole song because after people were out and the shooting was still going, and cops were going, go, go, clear the area, and we are like holy [ bleep ], so when i went down to help this guy, it was like, are you kidding? you are still watching yourself and you see people on the side of buildings and i jumped a couple times because i was not sure if it was somebody from a gun or somebody hiding because you don't know who is what or where, and you are, like, oh, man, and you can't go anywhere because in valet they have your

keys in the thing. >> did you see gunfire? >> i didn't see gunfire or the shooters, and i heard everything and i hit the ground and i called out because i was near the exit, and there was a vip section and a bathroom right there, and i crawled my way out through the bathroom area. >> a chilling eyewitness account, and i want to bring back jim cavanagh who is an msnbc analysts. >> as sarah reported on the scene earlier, when you heard the explosion and the gunfire that followed and then you reported the ambulance leaving the scene, and that was s.w.a.t. most likely making an explosive

entry or using a diversion airy devi device, and now they are moving quickly to get the wounded and that's what we are seeing with the ambulances leaving. orlando police s.w.a.t. looks like, has, you know, made entry, either killed the suspect or wounded them or the police may have killed himself after he was shot by police, and they are reporting the assailant is dead. that's critical for everybody now and now they can get the wounded treated, and s.w.a.t. will open the doors and get the paramedics in and get the wounded moved out of there, unless it's an obvious fatality, people will be treated by the paramedics. and then we are in a long crime scene processing. finding out who is the person or persons and what were they doing this for? is it a revenge or hate motive,

a terrorists motive? a domestic dispute? they have to sort through that. the main thing is, is there any other conspiracies, and that's what they want to find out and then they can get more in anaesthetic mode. >> new details are coming in on the shooting. for those of you just joining us, we have been covering breaking news out of orlando, florida, where there were reports of a shooting in the pulse nightclub, and police called this as mass casualties, and people have been taken to the local area hospitals and eyewitness accounts saying there was 150 people or more when shooting started. police were on the scene, and one eyewitness said