ORLANDO, Fla. – The Latest on the deadly shooting at a nightclub in Orlando. (all times local):
3:45 a.m.
Israel's ceremonial president says the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando that killed 50 people and wounded dozens more is "as cowardly as it is abhorrent."
In a letter to President Barack Obama, Reuven Rivlin says Monday that Israel stands "shoulder to shoulder with our American brothers and sisters" after the attack on the LGBT community.
He sent his condolences and said there is "no comfort for those who have had their loved ones torn away from them."
The Orlando attack has dominated news in Israel, which has seen a wave of Palestinian attacks in recent months. On Wednesday two Palestinian gunmen killed four people at a popular shopping and restaurant area in Tel Aviv.
LGBT groups in Israel planned rallies and other support for the community in Orlando.
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3 a.m.
Dozens of bodies were slowly removed overnight from a popular Orlando gay club after a gunman sprayed the helpless crowd with bullets in violence that killed 50 people and devastated a city famous for family-friendly theme parks.
When the attacker opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, it interrupted an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows at a club known for tolerance for all people.
Authorities say suspect Omar Mateen emerged, carrying an AR-15 and fired relentlessly — 20 rounds, 40, then 50 and more. In such tight quarters, the bullets could hardly miss. He shot at police. He took hostages.
When the gunfire at the Pulse Orlando club finally stopped, 50 people were dead and dozens critically wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
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