Medical examiner kept Orlando shooting victims, shooter separate

The medical examiner who oversaw the 49 autopsies of the victims of the Pulse shooting says he kept their bodies separated from the gunman's body.

Dr. Joshua Stephany said in a statement Thursday that the body of gunman Omar Mateen was being held in a building separate from the victims.

He also says the gunman's autopsy was conducted in a separate building from the victims.

Stephany says he decided to do that not because of any requirement but because he thought it's the right thing to do.

The medical examiner says his staffers were able to conduct autopsies on the all victims, as well as identify their bodies, within 72 hours after Sunday morning's shooting.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)