Pulse 911 call: Man trapped in bathroom helps other victims

'Everybody is bleeding everywhere,' woman tells Orlando dispatcher

ORLANDO, Fla. – A man trapped in a Pulse nightclub bathroom worked to keep at least a dozen other people with him calm, encouraging them and telling them help was on the way as police tried to get to the shooting victims.

A dispatcher named Joe was the caller’s primary information source throughout the 90-minute call released on Tuesday from the mass shooting that killed 49 people and left more than 50 injured.

When the man called 911 at 3:49 a.m. it would still be more than two hours before Orlando police would shoot and kill the gunman, Omar Mateen.

An Orange County judge last week ordered the release of the calls, and the city of Orlando released the first batch on Monday.

The dispatcher, who said his name was Joe, asked the man if someone could lock the door to the bathroom where they were hiding. The man said the door couldn’t lock and it wouldn’t open.

“There’s a dead body blocking the door,” he said.

The caller relayed information to police about the victims inside the bathroom.

“Four are dead, five are injured,” he said. “Someone said it’s getting hard to breathe.”

Later, the man updated the dispatcher.

“We have two guys oozing blood," he said.

Sixteen minutes into the call, the caller was trying to encourage others who were waiting for help.

“You all, we made it this far. We got it,” he said. "Listen, we have to stay calm. We all need to be on the same boat. You good? We’re not gonna let you fall.”

“Let me know how everybody’s doing," Joe said less than 20 minutes into the call.

“We’ve got one shot in the stomach, one shot in the chest, one shot in the leg, and I know at least two or three are dead," the man said.

Ten minutes later, several shooting victims' conditions start to rapidly deteriorate.

"Someone's getting weaker," he said to Joe. The guy [shot] in the chest said he's getting weaker."

"Oh my god. Someone's passing out," the caller said about a victim.

The dispatcher tells him repeatedly during the call that officers are going through the club rescuing people and that they should stay where they are.

"They're coming for you right now," the dispatcher says again.

The caller tries to distract injured people, asking them what they like to do for fun and what their favorite color is.

"Rainbow," someone responds in the background.

At one point the caller talks to a shooting victim's relative on another phone.

“She’s fine. She just shot in the leg,” he said. “She’s OK. She’s a little scared which is understandable for this situation.”

At approximately 5 a.m. the dispatcher told the caller to get everyone in the bathroom ready for an explosion. Seconds later, an explosion goes off.

Orlando police used explosives to try and breach the wall near the bathroom where victims were hiding. The first attempted failed.

Ten minutes later a second loud rumble is the sound of Orlando police SWAT knocking a hole into the club.

In another call, also released Tuesday, a woman tells a 911 dispatcher that she's trapped in a room in the back of the club.

"I'm in the back with a bunch of people, and he's shooting and everybody is bleeding everywhere," she said.

"We're going to get some help for you," the dispatcher said. "Can you tell me anything that they're wearing?"

"No. He's in the bathroom. Hurry up," she whispered.

"He's in the bathroom with you now? Stay on the line. Don't hang up," the dispatcher said.

"Hurry up," the woman begged.

Another call was placed by a man whose friend was on the phone with a clubgoer who was trapped inside Pulse.

"I’m calling because there was a shootout in Pulse, the nightclub," the man said.

"Yes sir, are you there now?" the dispatcher asked.

"No, No. My friend is in there right now, and we don’t know what to do," the caller said. "He’s on the phone with him, and the shooter is still inside the building and he’s on the phone with him and we don’t know what to tell him."

"Let him know that we have over 15 officers there right now. Did he see who was shooting?" the dispatcher said.

"Does he see the shooter? Does he see the shooter? He says he can see the shooter. The shooter’s still in the building," he replied.

Several other callers phoned in to tell operators they were in contact with people who were trapped inside the club. In one, the caller said he escaped the club, but his friend was still inside and his friend's mom was shot. Brenda McCool, a 49-year-old mother of 11, was killed during the massacre. 

Witnesses told the media that McCool pushed her son, 21-year-old Isaiah Henderson, to safety when the shots were fired. He survived. 

Sean McNamara and Melodi Smith contributed to this report.


About the Authors:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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