Pulse Nightclub Shooter Had History and Gave Multiple Warnings

Dozens of survivors and families of victims have filed a legal complaint claiming there is evidence that the horrific Pulse nightclub massacre could have been prevented by the shooter’s employer and his wife, who were aware of his mental instability and deliberate commission to commit acts of violence – and did nothing.  More than 50 plaintiffs are represented in the case, which was filed today in U.S. District Court in Southern Florida.

On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen opened fire in Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando, Fla. He entered the club while carrying a Sig Sauer MCX .223-caliber rifle and a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol. By the time his rampage ended more than three hours later, 49 people were dead and 53 others were wounded.  It was the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in United States history. This tragedy, targeted at Orlando’s LGBT community, was rendered all the more unfortunate by the number of ways that it could have - and should have - been predicted and prevented.

Dozens of surviving victims and the estates of many of those who died have retained the Chicago-based civil rights law firm Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Philadelphia-based Law Offices of Conrad Benedetto and the Jacksonville-based Gregory Law Firm to represent their interests in this complaint.

The complaint states that Mateen’s employer, G4S PLC, the world’s largest security company, headquartered in Britain, and its U.S. subsidiary, G4S Secure Solutions, based in Jupiter, Florida, had knowledge of Mateen’s mental instability and intent to harm prior to the event. The company maintained its stance that Mateen was psychologically sound and fit to carry a firearm on the job as a security agent. Despite his troubling statements to co-workers, the company failed to comply with its own internal protocol to report changes in his mental health and seize his weapon. The mental health validation issued by his employer was reviewed by Florida officials before Mateen purchased the weapons used in the Pulse nightclub tragedy.  The company had been fined by the State of Florida for falsifying mental health validations for other employees in the past.

Furthermore, the complaint states that Mateen’s wife, Noor Salman, also had prior knowledge of his violent objectives and did not report him to authorities.

“The evidence we’ve seen clearly shows there were multiple warning signs before the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting, and we believe those named in this complaint – the employer of Omar Mateen and his wife – could have and should have taken steps to prevent this senseless act of violence,” said Antonio Romanucci, principal and partner, Romanucci & Blandin, LLC.

“The horror of that night has changed me forever, both physically and mentally. It’s stunning to think that this tragedy could have been stopped,” said Ilka Reyes, survivor of the massacre who was shot multiple times in the back and in the hand.

“Our family can not begin to describe the terrible loss we have suffered and the grief we continue to endure with the loss of a loving brother, son and friend. Our community will never ever be the same,” said Wigberto Cintron-Capo, brother of Luis Omar Capo, who died in the attack.

Romanucci & Blandin, LLC embodies a goal of creating change, not only for the individual but on a national scale as well, so that wrongdoers stop their deceptive practices and instead ensure that the products and services used by the public are safe. The firm is committed to fighting for civil justice. For more information visit http://www.rblaw.net

***Out of respect for the victims and their families, we ask that members of the media please refrain from contacting them directly. We will facilitate interviews through the media contact listed above.