**WARNING** Graphic images included in the story below. Those sensitive to disturbing images should avoid scrolling this article.
New police body cam video released by Florida authorities to the Orlando Sentinel and other news outlets earlier this week, provides a vivid visual account of the Orlando massacre, a deadly nightclub shooting that took the lives of 49 people and left dozens injured in June of 2016.
The audio in the footage is difficult to hear at times over the sound of gun shots and police yelling, but the jarring video provides insight into the arrest of 29-year-old Omar Mateen, the man responsible for the murders.
The video shows the moment officers ran directly into the Orlando nightclub.
Once in the club, an officer is seen with a gun in his hand and another can be heard yelling out: “You, in the bathroom, let me see your hands now. Come out with your hands up, or you will die.”
Shortly after that, police officer Brandon Cornwell, 25, can be heard saying a prayer of protection and safety.
“Lord Jesus, watch over me,” he said.
The Sentinel reports that Cornwell entered the club through a large broken window near the front door to find cover underneath the bar as other officers yelled at Omar Mateen.
At the time, Mateen was holding hostages towards a bathroom entrance.
Last year, days after the horrific incident, Orlando Police Chief John Mina told Washington Post, “Mateen showed no signs of remorse in phone calls with police during an hours-long standoff at the Pulse nightclub,” and seemed calm during calls.
WATCH:
Police officer Cornwell explained during the stand-off last year,“We just basically stayed there, waited for movement, and we just held our position until SWAT got there.”
“Once SWAT got there, they told us to retreat, that they’d take over because we were not really in tactical gear — we were just in our police uniforms.”
While the video is disturbing to watch, it shows the heroics those in uniform display on a regular basis.
To see the full body cam videos, Click HERE.
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