In the Wake of the Orlando Nightclub Shooting, the LGBTQ Communities Won't Be Intimidated

In the June heat of LGBT pride month, a gunman walked into Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and opened fire. He was strapped with an AR-15-like assault weapon, a handgun and was possibly armed with an explosive device. The casualties of the attack number at least 50; the number of wounded is estimated at 53.

And yet, even in the face of deadly violence, the gay community has already begun to vocalize that it won't be intimidated — and its refusal to let hate win.

The shooting happened on "Upscale Latin Saturday," the weekly celebration of the club's Latino clientele.

According to Orlando Police Chief John Mina, at 5 a.m., Orlando police "[detonated] two explosives to distract the gunman and help clear the club."

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the nightclub took to its Facebook page to post that everyone currently inside the club needed to "get out of Pulse and keep running."

Authorities are currently investigating the shooting as a "domestic terror incident," the Associated Press reported.

Read more: In Wake of Orlando Gay Nightclub Shooting at Pulse, Twitter Has Begun to #PrayforOrlando

June 15, 2016, 12:04 p.m. Eastern: This story has been updated.