Exclusive video shows crowd taking cover in nightclub during Orlando shooting: ‘They were terrified’

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ORLANDO, Fla. – New exclusive video shows the chaos in downtown Orlando just after Friday mass shooting.

People ran for open doors and found refuge in La Rosa on Orange Avenue. The club was just down the street from the suspect Jaylen Edgar17, was eventually arrested.

“I heard gunshots,” said guard Brandon Thomas. “Then I saw a body fall to the ground.”

Surveillance video from La Rosa shows Thomas outside the front door as people wait to enter. Then the shots caught his attention.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it was nerve-wracking, but at the end of the day I realized there are people out there that need help,” Thomas said.

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Another angle shows the shattering of people once their instincts kicked in. Some of them hit the ground and were only able to get up when the first wave cleared.

Inside the club, co-owner Justin Kihano said people were hiding behind the bar or lying on the floor.

“They were terrified, but I made sure to walk around the room to make sure everyone was calm,” Kihano said.

Kihano said the club sheltered people for about 10 minutes before communicating with police to make sure it was safe to let people out through the back door.

While club staff did their best to keep people safe, the club’s cash register was thrown onto the sidewalk amid the chaos. Surveillance footage shows a man picking it up and walking away.

Kihano said there was about $5,000 in it.

“Whoever took the money, spend it for a good cause,” Kihano said. “Go feed the homeless, pay your little sister’s car ticket or something. Do something positive with it.’

Kihano said the Halloween crowd was the largest of the year.

Edgar has been charged first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder and could possibly be charged as an adult, officials said.

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