ORLANDO, Fla. _ A third batch of 911 calls from the Pulse nightclub was released by the city of Orlando on Wednesday in response to a public records lawsuit from the Orlando Sentinel and about two dozen other media companies.
The calls continue to reveal emergency operators calming panicked patrons from inside the club and some offer information to the club-goers about what was to happen next.
At 3:06 a.m. one dispatcher tells whispering caller that officers are on their way, and will tell the group to put their hands up.
"Just so you understand, they still have to distinguish than nobody in there's a bad guy with you," the dispatcher said. "So don't feel offended when they tell you to put your hands up when they start getting you out, OK?"
"Ok, no problem," the caller whispers.
This was the largest batch so far, with the city releasing 153 files of emergency calls.
The June 12 nightclub attack by gunman Omar Mateen left 49 people dead and at least 68 injured. Mateen was killed in a shootout with police three hours after he began shooting inside the club.
The 911 calls were among 36 released Monday and 21 released Tuesday after a judge ruled Oct. 31 that the city had to make public the bulk of the calls, including those to or from Mateen.
In one call, it's clear that the dispatchers know where one group of victims is waiting, trying to send help in:
"There's a group of you in the dressing room, and then there's a smaller dressing room with three more people in there," the dispatcher tells the caller. "So, I think you're the last to get out. I know that doesn't, you know, sound positive, but we've got officers all over the inside of that building."
They weren't the last to get out though _ at the time, negotiators were trying to negotiate with Mateen.
At 3:08 a.m., a caller asks an operator, "Has the shooter been detained yet?"
"No," the dispatcher said. "But we're on the phone with him. We're trying to get him to give up."
