June 14, 2016
A DISORDERED MIND:
Orlando Gunman Was Gay, Says Former Police-Academy Classmate (Claire Landsbaum, 6/14/16, New York)
When Omar Mateen -- a 29-year-old security guard -- opened fire at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on Sunday, killing 49 people and wounding 53, it wasn't his first time at the club. In fact, according to at least four regular patrons, Mateen had visited the club several times before, and one -- Chris Callen, a drag queen who performs at Pulse under the name Kristina McLaughlin -- said Mateen had been going there "for at least three years."Additional reports suggest Mateen had created profiles on multiple gay-dating apps: Grindr, Jack'd, and Adam for Adam, to name a few. And a former police-academy classmate of Mateen's said he believed Mateen was gay and had asked him out on a date. "We went to a few gay bars with him, and I was not out at the time, so I declined his offer," the classmate told the Palm Beach Post. He went on, "He just wanted to fit in and no one liked him. He was always socially awkward."
The Heavily Armed Man Arrested on His Way to the L.A. Pride Parade Has Been Charged With a Bunch of Crimes (Jen Kirby, 6/14/16, New York)
It's unclear what Howell's motives were when police stopped him, but he was lugging an arsenal that could have done some serious harm: three assault rifles, 30-round magazines, a Taser, a black hood, a security badge, a knife, handcuffs, and five gallons of gasoline. He also had a 25-pound container of "Shock-Shot," an explosive often used at gun ranges to blow up targets. Santa Monica detectives wrote in a statement that the "amount of explosives in the container would have posed a grave danger" if they were set off either intentionally or accidentally.Police discovered him after a Santa Monica resident reported that a man had been knocking on a neighbor's door and window around 5 a.m. Sunday. Howell, who is reportedly bisexual, was an "explosive" person, according to an ex-boyfriend who said he didn't know why Howell had gone to California.
Posted by Orrin Judd at June 14, 2016 7:37 PM
