6 dead in Orlando shooting
Shooting nearly a year after Pulse nightclub massacre not an act of terror, officials say
Authorities survey the scene Monday in Orlando after a disgruntled former employee returned to an RV accessory business and shot five people before killing himself. The shooter had been accused of assaulting a co-worker but not charged. The victim in that case was not among the dead Monday. The shooting marked another horror for a city still healing from a bloody mass murder at a gay nightclub less than one year ago.
Jerry Demings, Orange County sheriff
A disgruntled former employee returned to a local RV accessory business Monday and fatally shot five people before killing himself, another horror in a city still healing from a bloody mass murder at a nightclub less than one year ago.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the 45-year-old shooter, who had been fired in April, entered the Fiamma Inc. building at about 8 a.m. ET and opened fire. A 911 call came in at 8:03 and officers were on the scene two minutes later, Demings said.
Four of the victims, three men and a woman, were found dead at the scene, the sheriff said. Another man died a short time later at a hospital. The shooter’s body was also found at the scene.
“He shot five innocent people this morning then turned the gun on himself,” Demings said. “We have no indication that this person is a participant in any type of terror organization.”
Demings said the shooter had previously been accused of assaulting a co-worker but not charged. The victim in that case was not among the victims Monday, he said. Otherwise, the man had few prior contacts with police, Demings said.
Seven people in the building survived the rampage and were providing details of the shootings, Demings said.
Next Monday will mark one year since the Pulse nightclub massacre, when a lone gunman shot 49 people to death and wounded several others before he was killed by police. It was the deadliest mass murder by a single killer in U.S. history. Demings was also a key player in the early stages of that investigation.
“It’s a sad day for us once again in Orange County,” Demings said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims.”
Shelley Adams told WFTV that her sister, Sheila McIntyre, called her from inside the building during the shooting. Adams said McIntyre was in a bathroom when she came out and saw someone down on the floor.
“She just kept saying, ‘ I’m OK; I’m OK,’ ” Adams told the TV station. “She just kept saying, ‘ My boss is dead; my boss is dead.’ ”
Luis Gonzalez owns Esperanza Shoe Repair, directly across the street from Fiamma. He said he was startled to see a frightened woman running across the Fiamma parking lot while talking on her phone — and shortly afterward, law enforcement officers swarmed the scene.
“It’s sad. It’s surprising, because this is a good neighborhood,” Gonzalez said.
Shortly after the rampage, the sheriff ’s office tweeted that it was investigating a “multiple fatality” shooting at a business headquarters in Orlando, adding “situation contained.”
The shooting was being handled locally as workplace violence and had no apparent link to terrorism, an FBI official who was briefed on the matter told USA TODAY. The official requested anonymity because the agency was not leading the investigation.
Streets in an industrial area of the city where the shooting occurred were closed, and patrol cars, officers and police dogs swarmed the scene.
Gov. Rick Scott issued a statement saying he was briefed by law enforcement.
“Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before,” Scott said. “Ann and I are praying for the families who lost loved ones today. I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence.”
“It’s a sad day for us once again in Orange County. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims.”