having a great time at a club and then you hear what sounds like fireworks or balloons popping and you assume it's part of the show

The gunfire was difficult to discern at first, because the music was so loud, the beat so heavy. But as those near Mateen began to fall, and people began to scream, a wave of realization passed through the crowd. People ran: to the exit, to the back, to the bathrooms. Other dropped to the floor and cowered.

"You're sitting there having a great time at a club and then you hear what sounds like fireworks or balloons popping and you assume it's part of the show," patron Andy Moss, told local NBC affiliate WESH. "And then when you hear people start screaming and the sound doesn't stop and people start falling, you realize it's not a show anymore, and at that point, I realized I needed to get out."

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The gunfire was difficult to discern at first, because the music was so loud, the beat so heavy. But as those near Mateen began to fall, and people began to scream, a wave of realization passed through the crowd. People ran: to the exit, to the back, to the bathrooms. Other dropped to the floor and cowered.

"You're sitting there having a great time at a club and then you hear what sounds like fireworks or balloons popping and you assume it's part of the show," patron Andy Moss, told local NBC affiliate WESH. "And then when you hear people start screaming and the sound doesn't stop and people start falling, you realize it's not a show anymore, and at that point, I realized I needed to get out."