U.S. Investigating Motives of Deadliest Mass Shooting in Nation’s History

The dead shooter, U.S.-born Omar Seddique Mateen, expressed his allegiance to the Islamic State in his telephone conversations with police negotiators during the three hours he remained inside the club holding around 30 people hostage, police said on Monday.

However, police still have not discovered what led the son of Afghan immigrants to the club in Orlando in the early hours Sunday.

The suspect’s father, Mir Seddique Mateen, said this Sunday on NBC News that his son was enraged two months ago when he saw two men kissing each other on a street in Miami.

The IS again hailed the massacre by Omar Seddique Mateen, 29, and called him “one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America.”

Officers traded shots with Mateen three times, Orlando police chief John Mina told a press conference Monday.

An off-duty Orlando cop in uniform who was working security at the club responded when Mateen entered Pulse at around 2 a.m. and began shooting.

“Shortly after that, additional officers responded and those additional officers made entry while the suspect was shooting, and engaged in another gun battle with the suspect, forced him to stop shooting and retreat to the bathroom, where we believe he had several hostages,” Mina said.

Mateen held four or five people hostage in one of the restrooms, while as many as 20 other people hid in the adjoining bathroom.

“At that time we were able to save and rescue dozens and dozens of people who were injured and not injured and get them out of the club,” Mina said. “Things kind of stabilized.”

The shooter said little during the three hours spent on the phone with negotiators, the police chief said.

“Our negotiators were talking with him,” Mina said. “And there were no shots at that time but there was talk about bomb vests and explosives. There was an allegiance to the Islamic State.”

“Based on statements made by the suspect about explosives, about possible bomb vests,” Mina said he ordered officers to blow up club walls at about 5 a.m. on Sunday.

When the initial blast didn’t do the job, police used a vehicle to punch a hole in the wall.

“The suspect came out of that hole himself armed with a handgun and a long gun and engaged in a gun battle with officers where he was ultimately killed,” Mina said.

Orlando Health, the medical center where most of the 53 wounded were taken, reported Monday that six patients have been released while 29 remain hospitalized there.

Of those, five are in critical condition.