ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta man was in Orlando visiting friends, who live across the street from the Pulse nightclub, when the tragic shooting happened early Sunday morning.
He took video of the scene after he woke up to a gun battle.
Channel 2's Liz Artz spoke to Nick Hornstein, who said the gunshots woke him up.
"I was woken by dozen of gunshots, people screaming for help, people were fleeing club trying to help the injured," Hornstein said.
[LIST: Victims identified in Orlando shooting massacre]
The Decatur resident reluctantly became a witness to the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
"You can hear the gunshots, 5 second clip, easily 30, 40 rounds fired in that," Hornstein said.
He recorded those sounds on his phone from his friend's apartment off Orange Avenue.
Local man captured a gun battle between Orlando Police & Omar Mateen live in Orlando at 5:30 am pic.twitter.com/6RnsomUOq5
— Liz Artz Hayes (@LizArtzWSB) June 13, 2016
"It's not very far from Atlanta, just a couple hours' drive, happens there, could happen anywhere," Hornstein said.
Hornstein said police would not let them leave the apartment for nearly six hours. He watched SWAT enter the nightclub and watched victims run for their lives, snapping pictures of the developing scene as it unfolded in front of him.
[TIMELINE: The events that unfolded in Orlando nightclub shooting]
"A woman looking for her girlfriend, she had tears streaming down face screaming, hysterical, sheer terror, confusing, tough to see," Hornstein said.
Before he left to head back to Atlanta, Hornstein said police told him it will be several days before the massive crime scene is cleared.
Cox Media Group
