Newly released police reports detail the accounts of officers in Orlando who rushed to the scene of the deadliest shooting in modern U.S history.
An officer identified only as C. Reynolds reported seeing people running and screaming as bullets ripped through the concrete walls of Pulse nightclub in the predawn hours of June 12.
Another officer, Michael Ragsdale, said, “Once I entered into the club, I noticed about 60 victims lying on the floor.”
With blood-soaked bodies covering the dance floor, first responders continued to search for the active shooter.
“I remember feeling hands grab my ankles as I walked by the victims as they were asking for help,” Ragsdale said.
The 71-page document released Monday details the officer accounts from Pulse, where shooter Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.
“I heard several gunshots from inside the club but I was unable to pinpoint where the shooter/shooting was coming from,” Officer James Falbo Jr. said.
An unfiltered look at how the events of the attack unfolded was also captured in 911 calls between dispatchers and law enforcement last month.
Off-duty Orlando police Officer James Hyland was working private security when he heard the call over his radio.
He drove his pickup into the parking lot and began loading the wounded into it, turning the truck into a makeshift ambulance.
“I covered officers as they lifted the deceased and badly wounded persons from within the club and from the south side of Pulse into the truck,” said an officer identified only by the last name of Austin.
Austin, who said he was covered in blood from his fingertips to his elbows, said he got down on his hands and knees to comfort one victim in the back of the truck.
“Stay with me, I am here with you, you’re safe now!” Austin said, looking into the victim’s eyes.
