Before pulse club other gay ahootings

The FBI is looking into the possibility that Omar Mateen visited Pulse nightclub and tried to communicate with some of its patrons on a gay dating app before he gunned down 49 people there, authorities told NBC News.

Pulse is not alone: A brief history of attacks on gay clubs

Cord Cedeno, a customer at the Orlando club, told MSNBC on Monday that Mateen tried to get in contact with him through Grindr, a dating application for gay and bisexual men — but that he blocked Mateen "because he was creepy. Cedeno said that after Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at Pulse early Sunday, "I recognized him off Grindr.

I know that for a fact. Grindr confirmed it has been in touch with investigators but declined to divulge any details. At least four regular customers of Pulse told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday they had seen Mateen there before. One of them, Ty Smith, told the newspaper he had seen him there at least a dozen times.

Kevin West, another frequent patron of the club, told the Los Angeles Times that Mateen had messaged him via the gay dating app Jack'd over the course of a year. They met only one, by chance: Sunday morning. West told the newspaper he was dropping off a friend at the nightclub when he saw Mateen — a man he recognized but didn't know by name — crossing the street with a cellphone and wearing a dark cap about 1 a.

I said, 'Hey,' and he turned and said, 'Hey,' and nodded his head," West told the newspaper. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Skip to Content. NBC News Logo. Search Search. Profile My News Sign Out. Sign In Create your free profile. Sections U. Follow NBC News. Latest Stories U.

By Pete Williams and Daniel Arkin.