MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A gunman opened fire Friday in the offices of an engineering firm where he was let go more than two years ago, authorities said, killing one person and injuring five others.
Jason Rodriguez, 40, surrendered about three hours later, after officers saw him through the window of his mother's home and asked him to come outside, Orlando Police Chief Val Demings said.
Asked by a reporter outside the police station why he did it, he replied: "Because they left me to rot."
Demings said Rodriguez brought a handgun to the firm in a downtown office tower where he once worked as an engineer, but investigators are not sure what his motive was.
"This is a tragedy, no doubt about it, especially on the heels of the tragedy in Fort Hood that is on our minds," Demings said. "I'm just glad we don't have any more fatalities or any more injuries than we currently have."
Charles W. Price, an attorney who represented Rodriguez in a bankruptcy case, declined to comment.
Camille Previlon told The Associated Press her uncle, engineer Guy Lungenbel, was shot in the back and was able to talk but had not said much about the shooting.
"He is stable," she said. "He's just hurting real bad in the back."
Everyone who was shot was in the offices of Reynolds Smith & Hills, on the eighth floor. The five survivors were in stable condition, Demings said.
Company spokesman Mike Bernos said Rodriguez was an entry-level engineer who was fired in June 2007 after working there for a year.
"His performance wasn't up to our standards, so we terminated him," Bernos said. There had been no contact between the company and Rodriguez since then.
After the lunchtime shooting, some people streamed out of the Legion Place building while others holed up in their offices. A major highway was closed and nearby schools were locked down.
Greg Cross, who works in a real estate office on the 12th floor, said he and his co-workers barricaded themselves inside after hearing about the gunman on television.
"We were terrified," he said. "We locked the door and put a filing cabinet in front of the door and just waited."
Mark Vella, who works in a different office on the same floor, said he and five co-workers also pulled a filing cabinet in front of their door. They prayed and talked about what to do if the gunman showed up.
"It was a little scary, a little unnerving," Vella said. "We were afraid the guy was still in the building and making the rounds."
___
Associated Press writers Travis Reed, Kelli Kennedy, Jennifer Kay, Laura Wides-Munoz, David Fischer and Damian Grass in Miami; Antonio Gonzalez, Mitch Stacy and Tamara Lush in Orlando; and Christine Armario in Tampa contributed to this report.
Latest News
One dead, five hurt in Orlando office shooting
- Latest News
-
-
Council hears from shelter supporters
An item not even on the agenda drew the most attention and most time at Tuesday’ Corsicana City Council meeting, as supporters of a new animal shelter spoke out during a public forum time.
-
‘That lady welder’
Diane Billingsley first fell in love with metal working as a 7-year-old when her parents took her to see a blacksmith’s shop.
-
Job Fair opens doors
Job seekers of all ages and experience levels will want to attend the Navarro County Job Fair slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Navarro College.
-
P&Z tackles wells
Drilling within 600 feet of a subdivision will be the topic of both an open and closed meeting of the Navarro County Lake Planning and Zoning Commission, scheduled to meet in regular session at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Navarro County Courthouse.
-
Local Beat for 2/8/12
A listing of meetings and events of interest throughout Navarro County.
-
Shelter supporters speak out
Supporters of a public vote on a bond to pay for a new animal shelter in Corsicana turned out in numbers Tuesday to speak at the Corsicana City Council meeting.
-
Dance hall appeal before council
The Corsicana City Council will hear an appeal of a denied dance hall permit application when it meets in regular session at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Council members are scheduled to meet in a work session at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Government Center conference room, before the regular agenda meeting starting at 6 p.m. -
Texas primary date in doubt after deal talks stall
Texas is all but certain to have an even later say in choosing the Republican presidential nominee after what at first looked like a breakthrough deal in a bitter dispute over redistricting maps ended with wide rejection of the proposal.
-
CISD quartet out to win cuisine competition
They’ve been at it for months.
Just enough of this, just enough of that, cooked “just so.”
For four teens from Corsicana High School, Tuesday holds a special thrill for them as they compete in the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association’s ProStart Culinary Competition at Arlington Convention Center. -
Gander Mountain now home to small deer population
When Gander Mountain opened in August of 2004, it did so with an outdoor ATV track, giving potential buyers an avenue, of sorts, to test models out. The last several years, that patch of grass has been barren.
Not anymore. - More Latest News Headlines
-





