Police sealed off the area around the office block and later arrested the suspected attacker [Reuters]

Jason Rodriguez, 40, is alleged to have opened fire at an engineering company from which he was sacked more than two years ago, and was arrested after giving himself up to officers, Val Demings, Orlando police chief, said.

Demings said Rodriguez brought a handgun to the firm in a downtown office tower where he once worked as an engineer, but investigators are not sure what his motive was.

The Florida shooting comes a day after a gunman at the Fort Hood military base in Texas shot dead 13 people and wounded about 30 others.

"This is a tragedy, no doubt about it, especially on the heels of the tragedy in Fort Hood that is on our minds," Demings said.

"I'm just glad we don't have any more fatalities or any more injuries than we currently have."

Worker sacked

Every person who was shot was in the offices of Reynolds Smith and Hill, on the eighth floor of the building. The five survivors were in stable condition, Demings said.

Charles W. Price, an attorney who represented Rodriguez in a bankruptcy case, declined to comment on the incident.

Mike Bernos, a spokesman for the engineering firm, said that Rodriguez was an entry-level engineer who was sacked in June 2007, after working there for a year.

"His performance wasn't up to our standards, so we terminated him," Bernos said. There had been no contact between the company and Rodriguez since then.

After the shooting, scores of people left the building, with some telling the Associated Press that they had barricaded themselves inside their offices while the attack was taking place.

Will Halpern, an attorney working on the building's 17th floor, said that when he was evacuated he saw about about 20 officers in special weapons and tactics gear, carrying assault weapons, who were ready to search the building.

A main road through downtown Orlando was closed in both directions and schools close to the office block were locked down until the alleged gunman was caught.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto:

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4