Orlando police chief responds to Pulse criticism

Top cop says hurried response could have cost more lives

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Police Chief John Mina is responding to criticism over how his officers responded to the Pulse Nightclub massacre.

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Mina addressed concerns over the amount of time it took SWAT officers to make their way inside club, where 49 people were slain and 53 others were injured. 

"Officers contained (the gunman). There were no shots being fired after our exchange of gunfire with him about 2:18 a.m., so for all that time there were no shots being fired. Our officers had him contained in the bathroom and certainly, in my opinion, if they had assaulted the bathroom at that time, not only would we be dealing with many, many more lives lost, but we would also be dealing with officers' lives that would have been taken, based on the layout, the circumstances and the firepower," Mina said.

Mina said his agency will investigate its own officers to see if any policies were violated. The findings will be published in an after-action report with a detailed timeline.

Mina also said the department is considering an outside consultant to review the incident.

 


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