Orlando shooter Omar Mateen's ex-wife says he beat her
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The ex-wife of Omar Mateen, the man police said went to the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida and gunned down more than 100 people, killing nearly half of them, said the 29-year-old terror suspect was mentally unstable and beat her repeatedly during their brief marriage.
Mateen's ex-wife, who ABC News only identified as Sitora, said her ex-husband was abusive.
MORE: At least 50 dead, 53 wounded in Orlando nightclub shooting, police say
"He was not a stable person," she said. "He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn't finished or something like that."
Sitora said she married Mateen in 2009 and they lived in a condo owned by his family.
"He seemed like a normal human being," she added.
Sitora said Mateen wasn't very religious and spent a lot of time in the gym. He was a guard at a facility for juvenile delinquents and at the time, owned only a small-caliber handgun.
MORE: These are the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando
"He was a very private person," she said.
Sitora said her marriage came to an end a few months after their union, when her parents found out Mateen was assaulting her. She said her parents came to the condo and pulled her out, leaving all her stuff behind. She said he tried to reach out to her, but she never spoke to him again.
Sitora said at the time, Mateen had shown no signs of radicalization.
