Pulse nightclub shooter: 'I did the shooting'

Under judge's orders, Orlando releases Omar Mateen's calls made during shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. – Recordings of conversations with Omar Mateen that were released Monday by the city of Orlando show that police negotiators had doubts the Pulse shooter was even inside the nightclub while they were trying to talk to him.

The city published the calls after Orlando Circuit Judge Margaret Schreiber ordered their release Monday morning during a hearing about the unreleased audio.

The four audio recordings obtained by WKMG-TV were made during calls to and from the gunman while he was inside the gay nightclub on June 12 during the three-hour massacre.

In almost 30 minutes of recorded calls with crisis negotiators and dispatchers, Mateen sounded calm, void of emotion.

A police official can be heard early on saying he's not convinced the person on the call is in the club.

"He sounds like he is in a very sterile environment, like he's at a home or an apartment," the lead police negotiator said.

In the first communication, at 2:35 a.m., a 911 dispatcher called the shooter back after receiving a hang-up from his phone.

Scroll down to listen to the audio recordings | See WKMG-TV's iInteractive timeline of calls

“I want to let you know I’m in Orlando and I did the shooting,” Mateen told the 911 operator.

Mateen pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group and hung up when the operator asked where in Orlando he was.

2:43 a.m.: In the first call with an Orlando Police Department negotiator, Mateen repeatedly said the U.S. has to stop bombing the Middle East.

“I feel the pain of the people getting killed in Syria and Iraq,” Mateen said.

“So, have you done something about that?” the negotiator asked.

“Yes I have,” Mateen responded.

LISTEN: Call 1 | Call 2 | Call 3

2:56 a.m.: The negotiator tries for two minutes to get Mateen to talk to him, but the 27-year-old shooter was silent.

Mateen didn't speak to negotiators again until almost 20 minutes later.

Negotiators repeatedly called Mateen in the minutes leading up to 3:15 a.m.

When Mateen answered his phone again, he said the killing of Islamic State group leader Abu Waheed in an air strike in Iraq is what triggered his attack at the nightclub. He refused to tell negotiators whether or not he had an accomplice but said to expect more attacks in the name of the Islamic State group.

"Let it be known in the next few days you're going to see more of this action going on," Mateen said.

The call was then disconnected.

As the Orlando Police Department tried to get back in contact with Mateen, officials once again expressed their doubt that Mateen was the gunman.

"I don't here anybody," a police negotiator said.

3:25 a.m.: After repeatedly trying to reach the shooter, a dispatcher asks him “Omar, what’s going on?”

“You’re annoying me with these phone calls and I don’t really appreciate it,” Mateen said.

After speaking with the negotiator for less than a minute, Mateen hung up.

3:26 a.m.: Mateen’s phone rang and he did not answer it.

Orlando and multiple news outlets have been fighting over the release of all the 911 calls connected with the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The three-hour attack left 49 people dead and more than 50 injured.

Schreiber listened to arguments Monday from attorneys for the city of Orlando and attorneys for The Associated Press and more than two dozen other news outlets.

The city released transcripts in September of the calls between the shooter and OPD crisis negotiators. This is the first time any recordings of the calls from Mateen have been released.

The city of Orlando said the 232 calls depict suffering and death and shouldn't be made public. Schreiber said she will listen to the remaining 22 hours of 911 calls made during the Pulse shooting and determine whether more calls can be released to the public.

News 6 is listening to the 911 calls and will update this story with new information.

Calls from Orlando negotiators:

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