Two dead after shooting reported in downtown Orlando

Orlando Sentinel Staff

1:00 p.m. EST, November 6, 2009
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Two people are dead and six are wounded in a mass shooting at an office building in downtown Orlando.

Bodies were found on the 12th and 8th floor of Legions Place, a 16-floor building north of Colonial Drive. Only the 12th floor has been cleared. The shooter has not been found, said Deputy Chief Mike Droege of the Orlando Fire Department.

"The building is not secure now," he said. "It's still unfolding."

Seven people were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. One person complaining about chest pains was taken to Florida Hospital South.

"They have not found the shooter to my knowledge," Drudge added. "They're still clearing floor by floor."

Office workers are still inside. They have barricaded themselves inside and have received little information from authorities on whether it's safe to leave. One woman inside the building said they have been told the shooting possibly took place on the fourth or eighth floor.

"We've got everybody in one office, with the door barricaded with a chest of drawers. There are about 20 of us in here. We're scared," said one woman who is inside the building. She asked her name and that of her business not be used because she fears for her life.

"We're watching TV, trying to see what is going on, but we really don't know. We're scared. We're safe right now, but we're scared," she said.

Officers with assault rifles are looking for a suspect with blue shirt and blue jeans. Many have their weapons pointed at the parking garage.

There is a heavy police presence near Lake Ivanhoe and traffic is being diverted.

Orlando police and orange county sheriffs deputies have blocked roads near the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and the Radisson hotel. All of the businesses between Marks Road south to Colonial Drive are evacuated.

A witness has told WFTV that a man who previously worked in the building walked inside and opened fire.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has postponed a trip to see his son out of town and is monitoring the situation from City Hall, spokeswoman Heather Allebaugh said. Dyer is waiting for an update from police, she said.

Check back for updates.
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel

Sadly, my first thought upon seeing "shooting" in the thread title was "Repost! Didn't we cover this yesterday?"

/mourn

Police Sgt. Barbara Jones identified the suspect as Jason Rodriguez, 40, a former employee in the building who she said was believed to be at large and armed. Rodriguez was believed to be wearing a light-blue polo shirt and blue jeans and driving a silver 2002 Nissan sport-utility vehicle with Florida plates D119UX, authorities said.

A witness told WESH that the shooter had not worked there in more than a year. She was whisked away by police before she could say more.

1 killed, 5 injured in Fla. shootings; suspect held
Former employee of architecture firm arrested peacefully at mother’s home
BREAKING NEWS
msnbc.com and NBC News
updated 22 minutes ago
ORLANDO, Fla. - A suspect was in custody Friday afternoon after a man opened fire in the offices of an Orlando architecture company that fired him 2½ years ago, killing one person and wounding five others, police and the company said.

Orlando police Chief Val Demings identified the suspect as Jason Rodriguez, 40. Police said he was arrested peacefully at his mother’s home.

One person was dead and five others were in stable condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center with gunshot wounds, police said.

Orlando Police Department
Police identified the suspect as Jason Rodriguez, 40, a former employee of an architecture firm in the building where the shooting took place.

Mike Bernos, a spokesman for the architecture company, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, told NBC News that Rodriguez worked for the company until June 2007, when he was terminated for what he said was a “performance issue.”