The co-owner of Lotus Gunworks of South Florida spoke out Thursday about the Orlando gunman visiting his store.
Robert Abell told reporters Omar Mateen visited the Jensen Beach gun shop about five to six weeks ago asking for a certain type of body armor the store doesn’t carry and bulk ammunition.
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Abell says the questions he asked raised suspicion, “Our salesman got very concerned about it.”
Abell says Mateen then pulled out a cellphone and began speaking a foreign language which raised more concerns.
Abell says that they then contacted authorities. He says it was only after the shooting at Pulse nightclub that they recognized Mateen had visited the store.
“Unfortunately nobody connected the dots and he slipped under the cracks and this is where we’re at now,” Abell says.
The shooter was alone when he visited the store, Abell says.