Ex-wife and former classmates of gunman who shot dead 50 people at Orlando gay nightclub say that he was gay himself. The 29-year-old’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, and others who survived the massacre have said Mateen had visited the nightclub on several occasions.
Ms Yusufiy told a Brazilian TV station Mateen had "gay tendencies" and said his own father had called him gay in front of her. A regular Pulse goer also claimed Mateen had been messaging him sporadically on a gay dating app for about a year.
Kevin West told the Orlando Sentinel he saw the gunman outside the club about an hour before he began shooting and said he instantly recognized him.
Another clubber, Ty Smith, said he had seen Mateen at the club “at least a dozen” times.
"Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and belligerent."
The Palm Beach Post also reported a former classmate of Mateen’s said the gunman asked him out on a date almost 10 years ago and they used to go to gay clubs together.
He said he thought Mateen was gay but had not come out. He added: "He just wanted to fit in and no one liked him. He was always socially awkward."
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