The Fort Pierce condominium of Orlando shooting suspect Omar Mateen was broken into Monday morning, a spokesman for the Fort Pierce Police Department said.
While the back door was open, a number of foreign reporters entered the apartment. Palm Beach Post staff members were on the scene but did not enter the premise.
A photographer from Aftenpost, a Norwegian news organization, took pictures from inside the apartment.
The images show a Darth Vader shower curtain and what appears to be a child’s room, complete with Captain America gear, an Olaf doll and a Spiderman bike.
It did not appear as if the FBI had tossed over the place very much, the foreign photographer said.
The living room area of the apartment houses leather couches, an entertainment center and photos on the walls.
FBI agents cleared and secured the home about 5 a.m. Monday. Media gathered at the scene notified officers that the back door was open, Fort Pierce police spokesman Ed Cunningham said.
Fort Pierce police officers and Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney arrived to find that someone had broken in through the apartment’s back door, Cunningham said.
He said there was damage to the back door, but he did not specify whether there was damage inside the apartment. It was not clear if anything was taken, he said.
“We don’t know who did it, ” Cunningham said. “We are handling it like a burglary investigation.”
The investigation is unrelated to the federal investigation. FBI agents collected evidence late Sunday and overnight while looking for clues in connection to Sunday’s attack.