There has been some confusion as to what exactly took place in Orlando Florida at the Pulse nightclub and the exact sequencing of events.  While the specific details of the attack are still cloudy, today during a press conference Police Chief John Mina provided a little more clarity.
The video is prompted to Mina’s remarks (03:43).

It is very common for businesses to hire ‘off duty’ uniformed police officers for various security needs. Typically officers sign up for these private sector jobs as additional income.
Businesses pay overtime rates and the police departments coordinate the logistics and send the billing.   It appears Pulse nightclub had one of these uniformed, armed, yet off-duty officers at the entrance when the attack began.  This officer engaged Mateen and called for additional officers.
One of the benefits to hiring this type of additional security is the immediacy of any response if the need arrives; the officer has a radio and can call for help much faster than a person calls 911.   This appears to be why the 2nd and 3rd responding officers were able to get to the scene so fast.
 
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