Orlando police confirmed that a man suspected in a deadly mass shooting in downtown Orlando has been taken into custody.
The suspect, Jason Rodriguez, 40, is a former employee of Reynolds, Smith & Hill, a transportation consulting company. A SWAT team took him into custody at his mothers house, Orlando Police Chief Val Demings said.
One person is dead and 6 are confirmed shot in the incident, which took place about 11:50 a.m. at Legions Place, an office building near Interstate 4 and Ivanhoe Boulevard. A handgun was used in the attack, police said.
One news outlet is reporting that the car Rodriguez was driving was spotted at Hollowbrook Apartments, a complex at Curry Ford Road and Dixie Belle Drive. Shots were heard in the area, and a man is handcuffed and in police custody.
Mayor Buddy Dyer confirmed that the victims were all employees of Reynolds, Smith & Hill.
Ken Jacobson, a spokesperson for the company in its Florida headquarters in Jacksonville, confirmed the shooting took place in the consulting firm’s office. . “We understand the shootings did take place in our office,” Jacobson said. “People were shot in our offices.”
He said he had limited information but the company Chief Operating Officer David Robertson and Senior Vice President of Transportation Joe Debs left from the Jacksonville offices en route to Orlando early Friday afternoon.
People who have family members who work there can get info about loved ones by going to College Park Baptist Church, 1914 Edgewater Drive, police said.
Stephen Kerkhof, assistant chief of the Orlando Fire Department, confirmed that two of the shooting victims came out of the building on their own strength. One was found near Lake Dot, which is just north of the Amway Arena, and two others were found in the building, he said.
In his 28 years with the fire department, Kerkhof said he had never seen anything like Friday’s event.
Seven people were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, Kerkhof said. One person complaining about chest pains was taken to Florida Hospital South.
Steve Olson, spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation, said one of the DOTs employees, a male, was in the building on official business and was shot.
He is alive and undergoing treatment. Olson would not elaborate on the injury or release the guy’s name.
Office workers are still inside. They have barricaded themselves inside and have received little information from authorities on whether it’s save to leave. One woman inside the building said they have been told the shooting possibly took place on the fourth or eighth floor.
“We’ve got everybody in one office, with the door barricaded with a chest of drawers. There are about 20 of us in here. We’re scared,” said one woman who is inside the building. She asked her name and that of her business not be used because she fears for her life.
“We’re watching TV, trying to see what is going on, but we really don’t know. We’re scared. We’re safe right now, but we’re scared,” she said.
Officers with assault rifles are looking for a suspect with blue shirt and blue jeans. Many have their weapons pointed at the parking garage.
There is a heavy police presence near Lake Ivanhoe and traffic is being diverted.
Orlando police and Orange County deputy sheriffs blocked roads near the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and the Sheraton hotel. All of the businesses between Marks Road south to Colonial Drive are evacuated.
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