Pulse customer: Omar Mateen 'was trying to pick up men'

Earlier today I noted an interview with a former co-worker of Omar Mateen who described him as a “devout Muslim.” It seems there is also evidence Mateen, who was married, was also sexually interested in men. BBC published an interview today with Jim Van Horn, a Pulse customer who says everyone at the bar knew the shooter’s name because he was a regular there.

Advertisement

Van Horn adds that he saw Mateen trying to pick up other men at Pulse. “I met him one time at the bar,” Van Horn told the BBC, adding, “He was talking to me about his ex-wife.” “My friends came out from the back and said, ‘let’s go take pictures on the patio,’ so I left and then they told me they didn’t want me talking to him because they thought he was a strange person.

“He used to come in the bar about, on the weekends sometimes he would be there, sometimes he would miss a couple weeks and then he would be in again. He was regular, we consider that regular because some of us go to a different bar on the weekend.

“Everybody knew his name—Omar. Yeah. He was trying to pick up people…men. He’s a homosexual and he was trying to pick up men. He would walk up to them and then he would maybe put his arm around them or something and maybe try to get them to dance a little bit or something and then go over and buy a drink or something. That’s what people do at gay bars. That’s what we do.”

Advertisement

Asked what went through his mind when he saw that Mateen was responsible for the attack, Van Horn replied, “We just went ‘Oh!’ like, yeah, that makes sense. There, that’s Omar.”

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement