'Pulse' mass shooting victims honored in downtown Orlando

FOX 32 NEWS - The nation is still reeling and searching for answers after nearly 50 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

More than one-hundred families have all been wounded by the horrific tragedy, which is the worst mass shooting in American history.

Amanda Alvear was sharing her Pulse experience on Snapchat early Sunday morning when gunfire rang out as the massacre by Omar Mateen began. The 26-year-old Alvear was later identified as one of the 49 people killed by the 29-year-old gunman.

On Monday, thousands of people turned out in downtown Orlando to honor the victims of the mass shooting.

“This is my community, this is my people, and too many of them were killed,” said Christopher Haughton.

Also in Orlando Monday are comfort dogs provided by Lutheran Church Charities of Northbrook.

While Orlando remembered the victims from the slaughter at the popular gay nightclub, the investigation into Omar Mateen's past has produced some startling new details.

President Obama said the American born Muslim was an example of homegrown extremism with no evidence of direction from foreign terrorists.

"So countering this extremist ideology is increasingly going to be just as important as making sure we are disrupting more extensive plots engineered from the outside.”, President Obama said.

FBI director James Comey told reporters that Mateen had made three 911 calls pledging allegiance to ISIS, but that other possible motives were also being investigated.

“We are working understand what role anti-gay bigotry may have played in motivating this attack, an attack that occurred during the very month when we recognize and celebrate our LGBT brothers,” Comey said.

Questions remain, however, as to how Mateen had twice been investigated by the FBI, even once placed on a terrorism watch list, but he could still purchase an assault rifle.

Ed Henson sold it to him.

“An evil person came in here and they legally purchased two firearms from us. And if he hadn't purchased them from us, I'm sure he would've gotten them from another local gun store in the area,” Henson said.