--- description: Survivors of the deadly Orlando shooting described a scene of chaos inside the nightclub, as a gunman opened fire early Sunday morning title: Orlando Shooting Witnesses Describe Chaotic Scene Inside Nightclub image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97e5e8718abdb42d/6988976efb4eac2abd88de31/orlando-nightclub-mass-shooting-omar-mateen-witnesses.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Orlando Shooting Witness: 'Once People Start Screaming, You Know It's Not a Show Anymore'  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2016 12:09 AM CUT  Victims and witnesses make their way out of the Orlando police headquarters building following an attack at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Fla. Victims and witnesses make their way out of the Orlando police headquarters building following an attack at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Fla.Craig Rubadoux—Florida Today/USA Today/SIPA  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2016 12:09 AM CUT Survivors of [Sunday’s deadly Orlando nightclub shooting](http://time.com/4365618/orlando-shooting-pulse-nightclub-victims/?xid=homepage "undefined") described the chaotic scene that played out as they realized that what initially sounded like part of a typical DJ set was actually gunfire. “At first it sounded like it was part of the show,” survivor Andy Moss said. “But once people start screaming and shots just keep ringing out, you know that it’s not a show anymore.” Police have [identified 29-year-old Omar Mateen](http://time.com/4365360/orlando-shooting-omar-mateen/ "undefined") as the gunman who [killed 50 people and injured 53](http://time.com/4365260/orlando-shooting-pulse-nightclub-what-know/?xid=homepage "undefined") when he opened fire at the nightclub around 2 a.m. Watch the video above for more witness reactions. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4365642/orlando-shooting-witnesses-survivors/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4365642/orlando-shooting-witnesses-survivors/"},"headline":"Orlando Shooting Witness: 'Once People Start Screaming, You Know It's Not a Show Anymore'","datePublished":"2016-06-13T00:09:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:32:53.823Z","description":"\"At first it sounded like it was part of the show\"","url":"https://time.com/4365642/orlando-shooting-witnesses-survivors/","keywords":["Crime","Florida"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97e5e8718abdb42d/6988976efb4eac2abd88de31/orlando-nightclub-mass-shooting-omar-mateen-witnesses.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97e5e8718abdb42d/6988976efb4eac2abd88de31/orlando-nightclub-mass-shooting-omar-mateen-witnesses.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NEWS: Orlando Pulse Nightclub Shooting","caption":"Victims and witnesses make their way out of the Orlando police headquarters building following an attack at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Fla.","creditText":"Craig Rubadoux—Florida Today/USA Today/SIPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4365642/orlando-shooting-witnesses-survivors/","name":"Orlando Shooting Witness: 'Once People Start Screaming, You Know It's Not a Show Anymore'"}}]}] ```