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ORLANDO ATTACK: THE DANCE MUSIC WORLD REACTS

Standing strong with all affected by the shootings at Club Pulse...

Over the weekend the deadliest mass shooting in America’s history left 50 dead and more than 50 injured at Club Pulse in Orlando, Florida. A lone gunman opened fire at 2AM on Sunday (12th June) at the venue with more than 100 people inside, in an attack that is believed to have been motivated by homophobia.

The gunman, reported to be 29-year-old Omar Mateen, is a US citizen that had emigrated from Afghanistan. He was said to be armed with a rifle, handgun and “some sort of device”. An on-duty officer at the club returned fire, before a SWAT team stormed the club, rescuing the 30 remaining survivors in the venue and killing Mateen.

Club Pulse is one of Orlando’s premier LGBT venues. The attacker’s father, Seddique Mateen, said that his son had a “grudge in his heart” after seeing two men kissing in Miami, in an online post that condemned his actions. He also added that the fate of the gay community “is not in the hands of humans” as only God can judge.

As news of the attack broke, the dance music community was fast to react, condemning the gunman’s actions at Club Pulse.













(Photo via: AP)

Rob McCallum is DJ Mag’s digital news writer. Follow him on Twitter here.