Here's Why This Orlando Survivor Says He Regrets Making It Out Alive
One of the survivors of the Orlando massacre at Pulse nightclub last Sunday has admitted to locking an exit door behind him, trapping dozens of individuals while the massacre took place. These revelations came after Luis Burbano gave an interview, saying he "regrets" his second chance at life.
Burbano recounted in the interview that when Omar Mateen began shooting, he first dropped to the floor. He then saw people moving through a small "employees only" door hidden behind a curtain and followed after. On the other side of the door was a hallway where Burbano remembered around 20 individuals climbing over each other, in a panic, trying to escape. Burbano told Megyn Kelly in an interview with Fox News that he decided to shut the door behind him because the hallway was becoming dangerously overcrowded.
"That was my on mind," Burbano said. "There was banging, there was pushing of the door...but at that point in time, I just tried doing what I thought would be best at the moment because [the gunshots were] getting louder and getting closer." He went on to explain that he only closed the door for 10 to 15 seconds, so that the other people could exit, and that he prays that his actions didn't lead to anyone being killed on the other side. "You don’t know what to do until that happens and I just thought I was doing the right thing," he said.
At least one fellow survivor, Janiel Gonzalez, isn't buying Burbano's story. He told ABC News that it was the exit door to the outside, not the employee’s door, that was shut, which forced him to question if Burbano may have been working with Mateen.
"In a moment of desperation we were all crawling on the floor trying to find a place to exit. I looked to my right and I could see people going through some curtains. We were digging through the curtains and we finally see a door," he said. "Fifty people were trying to jump over each other trying to exit the place. There was a guy holding the door and not letting us exit. He’s like 'Stay inside, stay inside.' As he is saying that, the shooter keeps getting closer and closer and the sound of the bullets is getting closer."
He added, "This guy is trying to prevent us from leaving. Maybe they’re working together."
But Burbano seems far from someone who was working with Mateen, as he explained that he even regrets surviving the incident, as he is so racked with guilt, saying, "Someone told me I got a second chance at life, and I say, 'Is that what this is?'" Adding, "I regret it. I regret that second chance."
It is clear that even the survivors of the horrifying incident will have to deal with scars from that night for the rest of their lives.