FORT PIERCE, Fla. — As early as the third grade, the Florida nightclub shooter talked frequently about sex and violence and before finishing high school was suspended for a total of 48 days, including suspensions for fighting and hurting classmates, school records showed.

In the years since, other people reported having disturbing run-ins with Omar Mateen, including a bartender who said he stalked her nearly a decade ago and sent so many uncomfortable Facebook messages that she blocked him on the social network.

Mateen, whose attack on the Pulse nightclub left 49 people dead and 53 wounded, enrolled in Florida public schools after his Afghan immigrant parents moved in 1991 from New York City to Port Saint Lucie.

Teachers “couldn't seem to help him,” said Dan Alley, retired dean of Martin County High School. “We tried to counsel him and show him the error of his ways, but it never had the effect that we were hoping for.”

At least some of the suspensions were for fighting that involved injuries. Others were for unspecified rules violations, according to the records.

For elementary and early middle school, he attended class in neighboring St. Lucie County, where teachers said he was disruptive and struggled academically.