A 40-year-old man accused of killing one and wounding five in a
shooting at a business where he once worked was charged Friday with
first-degree murder, police said.
"I'm just going through a
tough time right now, I'm sorry," the 40-year-old suspect who had
recently declared bankruptcy allegedly told police as he was taken into
custody.
Authorities identified the suspect as Jason Rodriguez,
a former employee of Reynolds Smith & Hills, whose offices are
located in the 16-story Gateway Center building.
The incident
began at 11:44 a.m., when Rodriguez entered the business' eighth-floor
reception area, said Lt. Louis Tanzi, violent crimes section commander
for the Orlando Police Department.
"He produced a handgun and
started shooting in the reception area and continued shooting in the
entire office area until he left," he told reporters.
According
to the charging affidavit, the fatality occurred when Rodriguez entered
the suite, pulled a handgun from a holster under his shirt and shot twice at an employee who was standing near the receptionist's desk.
He
then entered a common work area "firing multiple rounds and causing
injuries to several other employees," it says, citing a witness.
During the incident, Rodriguez "was recognized by numerous former co-workers," it says.
He then left in a car, described by witnesses as a small, silver compact vehicle, the affidavit says.
Police went to his residence where they found a 2001 four-door silver Hyundai, it says.
As police were disabling the car,
Rodriguez appeared at the window of the residence, his hands in the
air, and surrendered without incident, the affidavit says.
Asked by a reporter why he allegedly committed the crime, Rodriguez, escorted by police, said, "They left me to rot."
Paraded in front of reporters outside the police station, he said, "Innocent."
Tanzi
said he was "very comfortable" that authorities have the right man.
"We're positive; we have eyewitnesses who have identified him," he
said, adding that Rodriguez will be facing other charges as well.
Tanzi
said other employees of the architectural and engineering firm where
the attack occurred have described Rodriguez as a "disgruntled former
employee."
A company spokesman said Rodriguez had been let go from the company two years ago for "performance issues."
Ken
Jacobson, the chief financial officer and chief legal counsel for
Reynolds, Smith & Hills, said that Rodriguez was hired as an
"engineer one," which he described as a "beginning engineer."
"His work performance was pretty deficient from the start," he said.
"We tried to work with his performance for 11 months and when he didn't improve, we let him go in June of 2007."
The company hadn't heard from him since -- until Friday's outburst, he said. "So we can't make any sense of this," he said.
The affidavit describes apparently conflicting reasons for his
departure. Rodriguez told a detective that he had resigned from the
company after five years there to get a better job, it says. But it
adds, "Rodriguez stated that people at RS&H, the Orlando Office, harassed him and threw him out for no reason at all, making it look like incompetency."
He
told police that, after a year and a half of unemployment, he found
work at a Subway Restaurant, but was not given enough hours so he filed
for unemployment, according to the affidavit. "Rodriguez felt the
people at RS&H were hindering his efforts to obtain unemployment
benefits," it adds. "Rodriguez stated he was expecting an unemployment
check but it did not come as expected. Rodriguez stated he felt he was
forced into a situation where he could no longer provide for his
family."
Tanzi said police recovered a firearm and had received "limited cooperation" from the suspect.
The five wounded victims are all in stable condition, he said.
Asked
about the building's security system, he said it was typical of the
city's office buildings with a security officer in the front and
surveillance cameras. "It's nothing elaborate," he said.
Public records indicate that Rodriguez filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last May and that the case was discharged in September.
Four
of the victims were being treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center,
and one had gone into surgery, spokeswoman Katie Dagenais said.
The fifth victim was at Florida Hospital, the hospital said.