Florida

Suspect in Orlando shooting spree charged with first-degree murder:

Reason to Blow Up the World...

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- A 40-year-old man accused of killing one and wounding five in a shooting at a business where he once worked was charged Friday with first-degree murder, police said.

"I'm just going through a tough time right now, I'm sorry," the 40-year-old suspect who had recently declared bankruptcy allegedly told police as he was taken into custody.

Authorities identified the suspect as Jason Rodriguez, a former employee of Reynolds Smith & Hills, whose offices are located in the 16-story Gateway Center building.

The incident began at 11:44 a.m., when Rodriguez entered the business' eighth-floor reception area, said Lt. Louis Tanzi, violent crimes section commander for the Orlando Police Department.

"He produced a handgun and started shooting in the reception area and continued shooting in the entire office area until he left," he told reporters.

According to the charging affidavit, the fatality occurred when Rodriguez entered the suite, pulled a handgun from a holster under his shirt and shot twice at an employee who was standing near the receptionist's desk.

He then entered a common work area "firing multiple rounds and causing injuries to several other employees," it says, citing a witness.

He then left in a car, described by witnesses as a small, silver compact vehicle, the affidavit says.

Police went to his residence where they found a 2001 four-door silver Hyundai, it says.

As police were disabling the car, Rodriguez appeared at the window of the residence, his hands in the air, and surrendered without incident, the affidavit says.

Asked by a reporter why he allegedly committed the crime, Rodriguez, escorted by police, said, "They left me to rot."

Paraded in front of reporters outside the police station, he said, "Innocent."

A company spokesman said Rodriguez had been let go from the company two years ago for "performance issues."

Ken Jacobson, the chief financial officer and chief legal counsel for Reynolds, Smith & Hills, said that Rodriguez was hired as an "engineer one," which he described as a "beginning engineer."

"His work performance was pretty deficient from the start," he said.

"We tried to work with his performance for 11 months and when he didn't improve, we let him go in June of 2007."

The affidavit describes apparently conflicting reasons for his departure. Rodriguez told a detective that he had resigned from the company after five years there to get a better job, it says. But it adds, "Rodriguez stated that people at RS&H, the Orlando Office, harassed him and threw him out for no reason at all, making it look like incompetency."

He told police that, after a year and a half of unemployment, he found work at a Subway Restaurant, but was not given enough hours so he filed for unemployment, according to the affidavit. "Rodriguez felt the people at RS&H were hindering his efforts to obtain unemployment benefits," it adds. "Rodriguez stated he was expecting an unemployment check but it did not come as expected. Rodriguez stated he felt he was forced into a situation where he could no longer provide for his family."

You know, I've been let go from more than one position and some not justifiably either. After some I went into deep bouts of depression and was even at the point of contemplating suicide. But never once did I ever consider taking up arms and killing people that worked at those positions. And like most mass shooters I doubt he even targeted those he felt wronged him. Instead he shot people that more than likely had nothing to do with his firing. Not like that would make it justified anyway.

One point for each of your victims (6), another point for being an obvious failure at life, a point for each year you've held this grudge (2), another point for blaming your own deficincies on others, and one last point for trying to claim innocence when you were seen by a plethora of witnesses. That's 11.

If you think your old job left you to rot just wait.

Nod of Doom to Bonnie.