Orlando Shooting Spree Perpetrator Held Without Bond
Posted: Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Orlando, FL—A man who is accused of embarking on a shooting spree which killed one person and wounded several others is being held without bond after appearing in court over the weekend.
Jason Rodriguez, 40, allegedly shot several people on Friday morning at an Orlando office where he had once been employed. According to Lt. Louis Tanzi, violent crimes section commander for the Orlando Police Department, Rodriguez entered the reception area of Reynolds Smith & Hills, an architectural and engineering firm, produced a handgun and fired two shots at an employee who was standing next to the receptionist’s desk. That employee died. Rodriguez, who was said to have been recognized by several former co-workers, then went into a common work area and fired more rounds from the handgun, thereby injuring several other employees.
Rodriguez fled the scene, but later surrendered to authorities at his home. Described as a “disgruntled former employee” by several people who work at Reynolds Smith & Hills, Rodriguez had been hired at the company in 2006 as an “engineer one,” or beginning engineer. Yet after 11 months of poor performance, Rodriguez was fired from his engineering position at the firm in June 2007. He had not been seen at the company’s office since then, nor had anyone at the company heard from him, until this outburst. Rodriguez, who recently filed for bankruptcy, told police that after his employment with Reynolds Smith & Hills, he was unemployed for a year and a half, then found work at a Subway fast food restaurant, but was still unable to make ends meet. He blamed his former supervisors at the architectural firm for hindering his attempts to get unemployment at that time.
After the attack, Rodriguez apologized to police while being taken into custody, saying, “I’m just going through a tough time right now, I’m sorry,” yet denied his guilt as he passed reporters out said the police station. When asked by a reporter why he had alleged fired the shots, Rodriguez said, “They left me to rot.”
During the two-minute court proceeding, Rodriguez said little more besides his name. Judge Walter Komanski, who presided, said that the court had found probable cause and factual basis for the arrest of Rodriguez, and that he would be held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder.
The five victims who were wounded in the shooting incident remain in stable condition, according to police spokespeople.
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