Pulse nightclub shooter first had eye on CityPlace
Prosecutors cited location data in the trial of his wife.
WEST PALM BEACH — Before Omar Mateen killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, he studied CityPlace as a potential target, federal prosecutors confirmed this week during the trial of his widow.
Mateen died in a shootout with police after the June 2016 attack. Federal prosecutors accuse his wife, Noor Salman, of helping him prepare for the shootings.
In the months before he opened fire, Mateen scouted popular gathering places. Prosecutors cited location data from cars and cellphones showing that the couple drove to CityPlace and to Disney Springs in Orlando.
“The defendant and Omar Mateen were casing targets in the middle of the night with their child,” said James D. Mandolfo, an assistant U.S. attorney, according to the New York Times.
After reportedly visiting CityPlace on several occasions, Mateen, who lived in Fort Pierce, decided to target the Orlando area instead.
Mandolfo said Mateen asked his wife, “What would make people more
While CityPlace wouldn’t comment on Mateen’s interest in the property, the mixeduse complex said it will host a training session to teach merchants how to respond to a mass shooter.
upset, an attack at a club or an attack at Disney?”
The night of the shooting, Mateen first went to Disney Springs, where he had been a few days earlier with his wife, prosecutors said. He went into the House of Blues club and bought a T-shirt, but Mateen noticed a visible police presence and decided not to open fire there.
Instead, Mateen used Google to search for nightclubs in downtown Orlando. The first one that came up was named Eve. The second was Pulse.
In the days after the shooting, store employees at CityPlace told the Palm Beach Post that FBI agents showed them photos of Mateen and Salman as they sought evidence that the couple had surveilled the shopping complex.
While CityPlace wouldn’t comment on Mateen’s interest in the property, the mixed-use complex said it will host a training session to teach merchants how to respond to a mass shooter.
“Ensuring the safety and security of the CityPlace district is our highest priority,” CityPlace said Thursday in a statement. “In an effort to ensure everyone on site is prepared in the event of an emergency, we have invited our local law enforcement agencies to participate in an active shooter training session with all of our tenants later this month.”
Mateen was at least an occasional visitor to West Palm Beach. City records show that Mateen’s sister, Mariam Seddique, hosted a party at West Palm’s Lakeside Pavilion on Feb. 25, 2016, to celebrate her marriage.
At the time of his killing spree, Mateen was a 29-year-old security guard who worked for G4s, including postings at the PGA Village development in Port St. Lucie and the St. Lucie County Courthouse.
Mateen was born in New York to immigrants from Afghanistan. He declared allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group as he gunned down patrons and employees in the gay nightclub in Orlando.