Posted on 06/24/2016 7:56:14 AM PDT by HomerBohn
Orlando, FL — The testimony of a Belle Isle police officer was given this week allowing for the first public account of what happened inside the Pulse nightclub earlier this month. Officer Brandon Cornwell’s account of what happened could explain why the death toll was so high — they were told to stand down and not to pursue the shooter.
According to Cornwell, he was one of the first seven officers on the scene. After hearing reports of shots fired, Cornwell was at the nightclub only 38 seconds later.
“Some ran towards the building, some stayed back with people running out,” he said. “There was tons of people running out of the club. I grabbed my assault rifle and ran toward the club. At this point, the shooter is still actively shooting inside.”
Within only two minutes, Cornwell and approximately six other officers had broken a large window and entered the club.
“There happens to be an OPD lieutenant commander who was there, and he says we’ve got to go in,” said Cornwell. “No one disagreed. One of the officers busted out one of those side windows” — it was approximately 10 feet tall — “and we just went in and went from there.”
Cornwell said Mateen was nowhere to be seen. The club was dim — lit with a disco ball and colored lights — and quiet except for the sound of the shooter’s gunfire, screams, and cries for help, Cornwell said as reported by MSN.
At that point, he said, “we took up a tactical position by the bar standpoint in the middle of the club.”
“He was actively shooting,” he said. “I can’t say if he was targeting us. But he was still shooting in that location where he was at. There were bullet holes in the wall, so he had shot through the wall. But I couldn’t tell you if he was shooting at us.”
Cornwell recalled getting orders not to pursue the shooter, hold their position and wait for SWAT. It would take SWAT a long time to respond.
Cornwell explained that he and the other officers obeyed the orders not to stop Mateen, and they held their position for “15 or 20 minutes — could’ve been longer” until the SWAT team arrived.
Cornwall described hearing gunshots and screams for help as they sat there — waiting for SWAT.
When he asked if he wanted to disobey the order to stand down and try to stop Mateen, Cornwell said he had to follow orders. “I couldn’t tell you. I was following lieutenant’s command,” he said.
“We got word from higher up, and it was communicated to the OPD lieutenant that we needed to withdraw,” he said. “So we came back outside. And waited for SWAT. SWAT arrived. SWAT handled everything from there.”
According to MSN, Cornwell and his fellow officers’ early standoff with the shooter — the second of three encounters between law enforcement and Mateen over more than three hours Sunday morning — is being scrutinized by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Public Integrity Squad along with the other police encounters with the shooter. None of the officers involved have spoken publicly.
A former cop and expert on active-shooter response told Politico that protocol developed after the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 dictates that once two or more cops are on the scene, they should go after the shooter.
“After the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, law enforcement realized active shooters have to be stopped quickly, not bargained with or given time. That realization gave rise to what’s called the Active Shooter response protocol, which basically says that once two police officers are on scene at an active shooting, they should go get the shooter,” Chris Grollneck told the news site.
The information released thus far into police response in Orlando will lead to a jarring conclusion, Grollneck said.
“It will tell you the leadership of the Orlando Police Department failed the people inside the club,” he said.
America can do better, instead of getting distracted by gun control. Never mind the FBI interviewed and gave a pass to shooter multiple times. At some point the public needs to recognize the barrel is rotten and change enforcement management and restaff.
Omar was an idiot. They gave him three hours to get away...
At some point the public has to realize that the government is running psyops against its citizens. This incident fits the pattern perfectly.
Lynch probably put her on a plane to somewhere then says she doesn’t know where she is. I bet she knows where the shooter is though.
Shades of Benghazi
Victims who were shot were bleeding out...
Hey, it’s just a bunch of scummy fags.
Not like they’re humans, or anything.
This does not require a conspiracy.
Just indecisive and feckless leaderwship.
As far as the wife, yes, I believe the FBI has conveniently “lost” her, because she would contradict the idea that this was not a Jihadi strike.
When were the feds notified an active shooter referenced Islam & ISIS, making this a terrorist situation?
Important because it could signify exactly when the feds took control of the actions of the responders.
When seconds count, the police are only minutes or hours (and appropriate orders) away.
Arm up, people. Carry wherever you are able to do so, and seriously consider NOT going where you’re not permitted to carry...and then keep working to get that law changed.
This is utterly shameful. Here you had 7 officers on the scene, LITERALLY INSIDE the bar...and then they were told to leave. Someone should not only lose their job, but their pension and benefits. It took SWAT 3 hours to stop this guy - how many people bled to death on the floor of that bar in the last 2 hours and 45 minutes before that?
There are 2 causes for this massacre: Islamic terrorism and rank stupidity. One we can do something about...and the other we obviously can’t fix until it is too late.
Stand Down. Where have we heard this command before which also resulted in the possibly unnecessary loss of American lives?
Cowardice and stupidity.
Or, perhaps the police wanted the gunman to murder as many as possible.
viz
2013: Orlando Terrorist Threatened To Kill Fla. Sheriff And His Family, FBI Dismissed Threat
6/18/2016 1:26:33 PM · 26 of 80
bunkerhill7 to Titus-Maximus
2013: Orlando Terrorist Threatened To Kill Fla. Sheriff And His Family, FBI Dismissed Threat on Orders from the White House to STAND DOWN
ther fixed it
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A truly moral policeman would have disobeyed orders and stopped Mateen.
This is a scary example that the police will follow orders not do what is obviously right.
The police official giving the stand in place order should be charged with the deaths of all those who were killed or died for lack of help.
This is an f...ing disgrace!...
Salman flew and Lynch knew!! d;^)
Affirmative action for muslims?
How many more lives were lost due to this extremely bad decision will never be known but even if it was just one... Someone needs to pay dearly for this. Whomever gave the stop order needs to lose his/her job and their pension for complete and total dereliction of duty.
Seems to me that if they are going to tell the patrol officers to await the arrival of SWAT, why do they bother arm them with rifles??
Proves again, when seconds count the police are minutes away.
Too bad they did not engage the POS earlier, perhaps some lives could have been spared.
I just cannot get past the horror of being trapped in a building with a terrorist with a rifle especially. The only good news is they smoked his ass.
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