Orlando Gunman Was Fired From Jail Post After "Extremely Disturbing" Inquiry About Weapon

Orlando gunman Omar Mateen was fired from his position as a Florida Department of Corrections trainee after asking a fellow recruit if he would tell anyone “if he was to bring a gun to school,” according to state records.

In moving to terminate Mateen in late-April 2007, the warden of the Martin Correctional Institute wrote that, “In light of recent tragic events at Virginia Tech, Officer Mateen’s inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing.”

On April 16, 2007, a gunman shot and killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus. Until Mateen murdered 49 individuals at the Pulse nightclub, the Virginia Tech massacre was the country’s deadliest mass shooting.

In addition to Mateen’s question about bringing a gun to class, he was also cited for sleeping in class and at a firearms range and leaving class without permission.

Documents relating to Mateen’s dismissal from the Florida Corrections Academy after six months as a recruit were released late this afternoon by state corrections officials.