Theyve since backtracked from that statement. Global reaction pouring in at this hour. The tributes being paid to the victims of americas latest and deadliest mass shooting. Well have full coverage and the latest details straight ahead. Youre watching a special edition of world news now. Lets begin with some of those latest details that were hearing about the nightclub massacre in orlando. At least 17 of the 50 victims have been identified by city officials. 53 other people were injured in that attack. The exwife of the gunman says that he was not a stable person. Sources say mateen used an arstyle rifle and 9millimeter semiautomatic handgun in that rampage. A go fund me account has raised more than 1. 2 million online. It was set up by floridas main lgbt organization, which says the money will go to the victims, as well as family members who are affected by the attack. Many of those injured are listed in Critical Condition at orlandoarea hospitals. Dozens of families of course are still waiting to learn about the status of their loved ones. Abcs Marci Gonzalez is in orlando with more. Theyre shooting back and forth reporter utter terror inside this orlando nightclub. Oh my god theyre all shooting back and forth reporter a lone gunman armed with an Assault Rifle and handgun killing 50 people, injuring more than 50 others. Everybody just drops on the ground and then people started running. There was bodies everywhere. I was crawling, i kept crawling. It was literally like a scene out of a horror movie. I just played dead. Reporter the nightmare in this gay bar and nightclub lasting three hours. Dozens people held hostage. Some sending heartwrenching Text Messages to their families. Please come get us out, hes about to kill us. So he said he was going to die and he loved me. Thats the last thing i heard. Reporter many of those families still agonizingly waiting for word on whether their loved ones survived. I dont know. Its terrible. Hes my only child. Reporter the gunman killed at the scene identified by investigators as 29yearold omar mateen. Law enforcement Officials Say after the shooting began, he called 911 to pledge his allegiance to isis. The terror groups Propaganda News Agency claiming mateen was an Islamic State fighter, although there was no indication the attack was planned by isis. Investigators searching mateens home two hours from orlando. His exwife calling him a sick person. He wouldnt allow me to speak to my family. He would beat me as i would try to call them. Reporter federal Officials Say he bought the guns used in the attacks legally within the past week. The scene here still blocked off as authorities now move the bodies and work to identify the victims. Kendis and diane . Thanks to marci in orlando for us early this morning. The father of the orlando shooter is offering his condolences to the victims and their families. Siddiqui mateen says hes shocked by his sons actions and says when he last saw his son on saturday afternoon everything seemed normal. Mateen said hed like to visit with some of mateens victims and their families and he spoke with abc news just a short time ago. Why did you decide to speak with us tonight . Because this is something that affects everybody. Its affecting everybody in united states. And i love my american brothers and sisters. And this news wasnt easy to hear. I wish there was something i could have done. If i knew about it. As far as this news goes, i know as much as you do. Im really saddened. Im really surprised. Today was a very hard day for you. Can you take us through the moments when you learned about what had happened, that your son had killed all of these people . It was 4 00 in the morning. I receive a call. I have to go rush, go to my daughters house. And they told me about the news. And they said, we cant tell you anything until we make sure that we get the right news. So were waiting a few hours until the news came out. And i couldnt believe that was my son. Because my son got an education, is born in united states, in new york. He finished high school here in florida. He got his associate degree in criminal justice. He had a lot of love and care. And i couldnt believe that this is what he was doing. Our thanks to linzie janis for that incredible interview with the gunmans father. For some the pace of getting information about their loved ones has really been agonizingly slow. The city of orlando is releasing the names of victims as families are informed. Abcs amy robach has more about those that we know were lost in the attack and some who survived. Reporter for most of the day there were only numbers. 50 dead, 53 injured. But there are the names and faces to go along with the stories of so many people who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. These names now included othe official death toll. Kim morris, 37 years old. Luis omar ocasiocapo, 20 years old. Juan ramon guerrero, 22 years old, who was there with his boyfriend. Dozens more lucky enough to survive. Rodney sumpter, a bartender at the club and father of two. Josh mcgill, who stopped to help him. I grabbed him and pulled him over to me. Hes like, hey, man, i think i got shot. I took off my shirt and said, hey, i got to stop the bleeding. I tied it around the first gunshot wound with my shirt reporter julien was on the dance floor when the gunman opened fire, trampled as she tried to escape. Her friend janet mccoy, helping treeage victims in the minutes after the shooting. I was okay besides bumps and bruises. My instinct was to help everybody else around me. Reporter there are countless others still unaccounted for. Like jeff rodriguez. He sent his brother a text from the chaos saying he was bleeding. Last text said, i got shot, im bleeding out, i think im dying, i love you guys, tell mom, dad, how much i love them. Reporter so many families of those still missing are gathered at Beardall Senior Center blocks from the crime scene where authorities have the grim task of notifying next of kin about whether their loved ones survived. Like baron cerrado, still waiting to hear of the fate of his brother juan. How important is hope to you right now in this moment . The main thing, its the only reason why im standing and im facing the parents and everyone, answering all the calls. People are right now expecting the worst. Not me. I know hes out there. So hard for the families, especially those still waiting to find out. But those victims of the massacre were also remembered at a gay pride event, or gay pride events, all around the country. Members of the Los Angeles Lgbt Center held up signs spelling out orlando as they marched through west hollywood. Los angeles mayor garcetti was among the many who spoke out in support. We are americans. We are all Lgbtq Community members today. We are all part of a country that will not be beaten down. A heavily armed man from indiana who said he was on his way to los angeles parade was arrested but police in santa monica say it was not related to the orlando shooting. The tony awards also did their part to pay tribute to the victims of that massacre. Host james corden opened the show with a tribute. Hamiltons lynn manual miranda was overcome with emotion while he recite d a poem for the victims. The hiphop musical about the founding father Alexander Hamilton was the nights big winner. That mega hit won 11 tony awards including best musical. On a completely different note there could be hardware handed out by the bay. Golden state needs one more win for the nba title. The defending champs suffered a big loss. Draymond green suspended thanks to his below the belt shot on lebron james. You can watch tonights game right here on abc tonight at 9 00. The Pittsburgh Penguins have left the bay area with hockeys biggest trophy. They beat the San Jose Sharks 31 in game six of the stanley cup finals. The penguins take home the fourth cup in franchise history and their first since 2009. Captain sydney crosby won the trophy for the mvp of the playoffs. And they also paid tribute to the victims at those games as well as several other sporting events. Coming up, were going to take a look at all of those tributes pouring in for the victims, including at the tony awards as well. The powerful vigil fueled by pride and anger at the very spot in Greenwich Village where the modern Gay Rights Movement was born 47 years ago. But first the chilling words from the orlando shooter. What were hearing this morning from a witness who played dead for a terrifying three hours inside that nightclub. 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Among the outpourings in the wake of the nightclub massacre were at least two visible jills that took place last night in orlando. Recurring themes at the gatherings included love and tolerance. There were many other events held to honor and remember the victims at the massacre across the country. This morning were getting some new and chilling details from inside that scene at that nightclub. A witness who played dead is talking about what the gunman said to the hostages that he held for those terrifying three hours inside that nightclub. Heres abcs gio benitez. He had them on the Police Department or texting. He asked them, please do not text. So they stopped. Then someone started to text back up again. And he said, didnt i say dont text . Give me all your phones. Whos in here . Are you guys black . A couple of them said yeah. He said, i dont have an issue with the blacks. And then he got on the phone, i dont know if it was with the news or Police Department, telling them that to stop, America Needs to stop bombing isis. He was calling people on the phone . Yeah. He called somebody on the phone. Reporter he was telling them stop bombing isis . Stop bombing isis. And syria. He called somebody else that he knew and he mentioned that he was the fourth shooter and there was three others. And mentioned i believe a female name. And that was playing dead or hes saying that she has a bombing vest and he has one too. And then he said there were three snipers out there waiting for cops to come so snipers would shoot at the cops. Reporter so this whole time, what were you doing . I mean, you must have heard all this gunfire. Yeah. I stood quiet. I said, i dont think he knew you were there until he came back in and shot again and one black boy came crawling underneath the stall, grasping our legs and having me and my friend dropped to the floor. And he would go wash his hands and use the blower. And i felt something poke the back of my pocket. He was poking you . Yeah, one quick touch or poke. I dont know if he was with i didnt know what he had to use as a weapon. But he probably was thinking im dead. You played dead for three hours straight . Yes, and my friend followed the role. Quiet. I heard the cops screaming, get down, get down. A little closer, they pulled people from the other side of the club out. He was busy fixing his rifle, i dont know what he had, he was clicking, fixing. I heard shells dropping on the floor. And he was happy that he got it fixed and he said, i got plenty of bullets. Reporter he said, ive got plenty of bullets . Plenty of extra bullets. Very chilling interview. It sends chills, gives you goosebumps listening to it all. Were starting to hear more and more of the survivors stories now. One woman who apparently hid in the bathroom, covering herself with bodies. Some of the entertainers hid in a dressing room and managed to escape when the police removed one of the air conditioners from the wall. One of the fascinating things, gio sat down with that guy there moments after he left the hospital. Did you notice on his right arm there you can still see his i. D. There from the hospital. And so mateen also talked on the phone about, stop killing isis. Apparently a lot of these phone calls or one of these phone calls was to 911, a 911 operator. He was calling 911 to deliver these messages, apparently trying to get them through to the police. The police said the scene was so chaotic when they arrived or witnesses did, when they walked in they said, if youre alive put your hands up. They couldnt tell who was playing dead, who really was dead, who was just injured or survivors. Bodies were stacked on top of each other. So sad. Coming up, powerful words from president obama. For the 15th time, the president , this president , is addressing a nation in mourning after a mass shooting. Thats next on world news now. Announcer world news now when i have an asthma attack. I feel like a fish with no water. Learn how to prevent your childs next asthma attack. Because even one attack is one too many. Some of the scenes from all across the country, many people coming together saying that love trumps hate. President obama as you know was supposed to start campaigning with Hillary Clinton this week, but in the wake of orlando, of course that has been placed on hold. Instead the president turned his attention to gun violence, marking the 15th time hes had to address the country after a mass shooting during his term. Here are some of his remarks. Today as americans, we grieve the brutal murder, horrific massacre, of dozens of innocent people. Today marks the most deadly shooting in american history. This was an act of terror and an act of hate. And as americans, we are united in grief and outrage and in resolve to defend our people. This is a sobering reminder that attacks on any american, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or Sexual Orientation, is an attack on all of us. And on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country. In the coming hours and days, well learn about the victims of this tragedy. Their names, their faces, who they were, the joy that they brought to families and to friends. And the difference that they made in this world. Say a prayer for them. As a country, we will be there for the people of orlando today, tomorrow, and for all the days to come. God bless the americans that we lost this morning. May he comfort their families. May god continue to watch over this country we love. Thank you. The mayor of orlando saying this sunday was the most difficult day in the history of that city. You can understand why. Absolutely. The latest update on the victims and the investigation at 10 00 this morning. 10 00 this morning. Moisture so i can get into it ao enhance mbit quicker. Ral and when i know shes into it, i get into it and. Feel the difference with ky ultragel. Disinfect with lysol bathroom toilet gtrigger. Just stay in the toilet. And lysol power foamer. Theyre approved to kill 50 more types of germs. To clean and disinfect your bathroom. Lysol that. Illuminates skin with pearl optics science. Your concert style might show your age, your skin never will. With olay you age less, so youre ageless. Olay. Ageless. Ialmost everything. You know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. But for only 7 a month, ridx helps break down waste. Avoid a septic disaster with ridx. Youre looking at the scene in new york as many gather at the Stonewall Inn to honor the victims of the orlando nightclub shooting. People marched, laid flowers, some cried, some sang songs. And many made speeches in and around that historic bar. The Stonewall Inn is an important landmark in new york and across the country. Its considered the birthplace for the lgbt civil rights movement. That after a 1969 Police Crackdown led to the violent riot. Around this time last year it was a place for celebration. Do you remember this . Many gathered there after the Supreme Court decision legalizing samesex marriage. On sunday of course they came to mourn. That location has landmark status so it will be there forever. But were seeing these kinds of tributes pouring in from all around the country at sporting events, everywhere. At the tony awards as well. People gathered at the white house. It was pride weekend in d. C. This weekend, so a lot of people were gathered there. In new york city, big pride festivities will take place in two weeks. Can you imagine what a scene that will be. Definitely a lot of security th