WASHINGTON, July 16: The US Justice Department announced plans to launch an inquiry into the police response that followed last month’s Orlando gay nightclub massacre that left 49 dead and 53 wounded.
The agency’s unit dedicated to supporting community policing through grant funding and other assistance yesterday said it would conduct a “comprehensive after-action assessment” of the Orlando Police Department’s response to the June 12 mass shooting, after a request by its chief, John Mina.
“The lessons learned from this independent, objective and critical review of such a high-profile incident will benefit not only the Orlando Police Department and its community,” said Justice Department Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) chief Ronald Davis.
“It will also serve to provide all law enforcement critical guidance and recommendations for responding to future such incidents.”
Lone gunman Omar Mateen – a 29-year-old American of Afghan descent – opened fire at about 2:00 am in the Pulse nightclub before taking hostages in a bathroom.
After Mateen took the hostages, three hours passed as he remained in contact with police negotiators, who blasted their way into the club around 5:00 am.
Mateen was ultimately killed in the crossfire.
Five weeks following the attack, several questions are remain unanswered concerning the police intervention. It is still unclear whether law enforcement inadvertently caused casualties after ramming the outside of the club with an armored vehicle and setting off explosives.
The Justice Department announcement refrained from suggesting that police may have wounded or killed any of the victims. (AGENCIES)
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