Fired employee kills five, self in Orlando
ORLANDO : A man who had been sacked in April from his job at a Florida company opened fire on Monday at the Orlando business, killing five people before taking his own life, authorities said.
Four people were killed at the scene, while a fifth died at the hospital, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings told reporters. Seven people survived the ordeal.
The business, Fiamma, makes awnings for recreational vehicles.
Demings said the incident was being treated as a “workplace violence incident” and did not appear to have any links to terror.
The 45-year-old shooter, who was not yet identified by the authorities, had both a gun and a knife in his possession. All of the dead were former co-workers.
The assailant allegedly beat up another employee at the business in 2014, but no charges were filed, the sheriff told reporters.
“It is a sad day for us here once again in Orange County,” Demings said.
A year ago, Orlando -- a hub of Florida’s resort industry popular with tourists -- was the scene of a mass shooting in a gay nightclub that left 49 people dead and dozens more wounded.
“Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement. “I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence.”