American survivor Jake Raak said he played dead after he was shot by the gunman during the Turkey attack

An American man, by name Jake Raak who was shot during the fatal attack at the Reina nightclub early New Year's Day where 39 people were killed and about 60 others wounded said he survived the attack  by playing dead, remaining silent and motionless.

Raak was shot in the hip and the bullet traveled through his knee.

The 35-year-old man from Greenville, Delaware, told NBC News that the gunman targeted people who were lying on the floor, as he moved through the club spraying bullets,

"When he shot me I didn't move, I just let him shoot me," he said. "I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot." 

"You just have to stay as calm as you can," he said. "I took a bullet."

American Survivor Jake Raak  Photo source: NBC News

Police told NBC News that the gunman fired about 120 rounds during the rampage in and around the nightclub at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday in an incident that lasted less than 10 minutes.

ISIS on Monday claimed responsibility for the shooting that killed and wounded most of who were foreigners.

Source: NBC News