Orlando shooting victim films chilling moment gunman Omar Mateen opens fire on clubbers
Amanda Alvear was recording a Snapchat message for pals when jihadi sprayed bullets across Pulse nightclub dancefloor
A TERRIFIED clubber captured the moment Orlando massacre gunman Omar Mateen opened fire in a chilling video — minutes before she was slaughtered.
Amanda Alvear’s illuminated face mirrored her fear as the horror unfolded.
She was recording a Snapchat message for pals when she filmed the jihadi spraying bullets across the dancefloor of Pulse nightclub.
Amanda, 25, fled into the toilets but was later cornered and killed by Mateen — one of 49 innocents he gunned down with an assault rifle in the early hours of Sunday.
Her brief video clip, which also shows her and pals dancing before the carnage, was posted on Facebook by her heartbroken brother.
Brian, 32, wrote: “People keep asking? Yes this is Amanda, she was creating a Snapchat story though the night.
“This is the last time anyone saw her, after this she did receive and answer one call.”
He added: “A lot of hostages were in the bathroom, last I heard that’s where she was.”
Last night her family, from Polk County, Florida, were in mourning as events took place around the world to show of solidarity with the victims.
Amanda, a selfie-loving pharmacy technician, had taken Brian’s daughters, Bella, 12, and eight-year-old Zatanna out shopping on Saturday.
Her brother said she frequented gay and lesbian clubs because they were fun places and she felt safe to be herself.
One of Amanda’s closest pals, Mercedez Marisol Flores, also died in the shooting.
Investigators were haunted by the ringing of victims’ mobile phones by loved ones as the last of the bodies were removed from the club.
They were taken out on stretchers — four at a time — and loaded them into white vans.
Radicalised bigot Mateen burst into the gay club at just after 2am — firing at random into the crowd.
Clubbers told yesterday how he cackled manically as he confronted the group cowering in the toilets.
One survivor, named only as Norman, told his family: “He was laughing fanatically as he sprayed people with the gun. He was going, ‘Ha, ha, ha,’ as he shot them.”
Deyni Bentort, a family friend, said Norman received four gunshot wounds to his back — but survived after going to Pulse to celebrate his birthday.
He said: “He was in the bathroom stall with 30 other people.
“Those other 30 people are deceased. God was definitely with Norman on this day — his 26th birthday. He cannot understand how he got out.
“He had to crawl over the bodies of his best female friend and his male friend to get to safety.
Survivor Luis Lopez said he saw Mateen pretending to party inside the club before he launched his deadly rampage.
He said: “I saw him there, having a great time with us. He was partying, or pretending to. Everyone was having a great time and then the shooting started.
“I can still hear the gunshots, everybody yelling and screaming. All those images are still going through my mind.”
Other families were still desperately waiting for news.
Julissa Lear, 18, jumped in the car and made the 12-hour drive from Lafayette, Louisiana, when she heard her brother Frank Hernandez, 27, was inside Pulse.
Fighting back tears she said: "I got a call from my brother's boyfriend on Sunday saying they were in the club when shooting started.
“They ran, he got shot in the arm but then realised he got separated from my brother.
“We haven’t heard from him at all. We just want news, anything is better than this.
“I am praying for a miracle.”
Singer Adele wept as she dedicated her concert in Belgium on Sunday night to “everybody in Orlando and at Pulse nightclub”.
The British star wept as she told the audience in Antwerp: “The LGBTQ community, they’re like my soulmates since I was really young so I’m very moved by it.”
The world was united in grief yesterday as candlelit vigils were held and rainbow flags of the LGBT global community flown.
One of the many gatherings was in Sydney. Australian singing star Kylie Minogue tweeted simply: “Heartbreak”.
Pope Francis voiced shock at the “homicidal folly and senseless hatred” of Mateen.
He said in a statement it had caused “the deepest feelings of horror and condemnation.”
In Britain, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York John Sentamu joined together to give comment.
They said: "We must pray, weep with those affected, support the bereaved, and love without qualification.”
The Metropolitan Police revealed yesterday that it had increased patrols in the wake of the Orlando outrage.
In just over a fortnight Pride in London holds its annual parade and related events.
Commander Mak Chishty, Hate Crime lead for the Metropolitan Police, said: “While there is no intelligence to suggest an increased risk in London, we have increased our patrols in prime locations.
Additional reporting: DAN SALES
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