Suspect in Orlando shooting: I'm just going through a tough time

Update:

Orlando, FL - The suspect in an Orlando shooting rampage told police he's just going through a tough time and he's sorry.

Investigators say Jason Rodriguez, 40, opened fire inside the office of Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. at the Gateway Center office building in downtown Orlando, killing one person and seriously injuring five others.

Emloyee of the firm, Otis Beckford, 26, died on scene.

"There were three big pops, like someone dropped something very heavy," said one employee who was in the building on the 7th floor when the shooting occurred.

Those pops turned out to be gunshots.

"We were in our suite and we just locked our door and waited for the police to show up," said another employee in the building.

The shooter took off, so the manhunt was on.

Three hours later, around 2:00 p.m., SWAT teams stormed an apartment complex where Rodriguez was living with his mother and they arrested him.

According to the arrest affidavit, Orlando detectives say when he was being handcuffed, he told them, "I'm just going through a tough time right now. I'm sorry."

During police interviews, they say Rodriguez said people at his old company, RS&H, harassed him and threw him out for no reason at all. After that, he told them he could not find work for more than a year.

In that time, according to state records, Rodriguez filed for bankruptcy in September.

Then, recently, police say when he filed for unemployment benefits but never received compensation, he said he blamed RS&H.

"Some things we heard from employees were that he was disgruntled. He was terminated two years ago," said the Lieutenant for the Violent Crimes Unit for Orlando Police.

Aside from motive, police are positive they've got their guy, complete with eye-witnesses who identified him.

When he was arrested, Rodriguez told reporters, "They left me to rot." 

After he was booked, Rodriguez spoke to reporters again, saying, "Innocent."

Authorities say Rodriguez had no criminal record until now. He faces a charge of first degree murder and faces up to five more charges of attempted murder.

Police have not released the names of the victims until they are able to notify the family of the person who died.

Earlier story:

Orlando, Florida - A gunman shot six people in a downtown Orlando office building on Friday afternoon, leaving one person dead and five more injured. A SWAT team arrested the suspected gunman within a couple hours at his mother's nearby apartment complex.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said Jason Rodriguez, 40, was apprehended after 2 p.m. Friday around three hours after the shooting occurred.

"Obviously we have a tragic incident here in the city of Orlando. This was a model response by the OPD and reporting law enforcement agencies. The gunman has been apprehended," Dyer said.

Police Chief Val Demings said Rodriguez surrendered to police at his mother's home after officers saw him through a window and asked him to come out.

Local 6 was told Rodriguez said, "They left me to rot," as he was being led into the police department.

Demings said one person was killed and five people were wounded in the shooting. Orlando Regional Medical Center said it is treating four patients, three men and one woman. All are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, the hospital said. The victims range in age from 23 to 49 years old.

ORMC said one victim has been taken to surgery and the other three are potential surgery candidates. They are still being evaluated.

Camille Previlon told The Associated Press her uncle, engineer Guy Lungenbel, was shot in the back and was able to talk but had not said much about the shooting.

"He is stable," she said. "He's just hurting real bad in the back."

Demings said tips from Crimeline helped lead to Rodriguez's arrest.

Orlando Police Sgt. Barb Jones said the shooting took place at Reynolds, Smith $ Hills, an engineering and construction firm located on the 8th floor at the 16-story Gateway Center. Rodriguez was let go from the firm more than two years ago.

"We heard three big pops like somebody dropped something heavy," a witness working on the 7th floor said.

Company spokesman Mike Bernos said Rodriguez was an entry-level engineer who was fired 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.

Gerry Gilgo, who works on the floor where the shooting occurred, told The Associated Press she was meeting a co-worker at the elevators for lunch.

"She yelled, 'There are gunshots! There are gunshots! Get back in your office,"' Gilgo said.

Will Halpern, an attorney on the building's 17th floor, was among the last group to be evacuated. He said the lobby was filled with about 20 officers in SWAT gear, carrying assault weapons, ready to search.

According to financial records, Rodriguez was in immense debt and has been working at Subway.

Police initially said at least eight people were shot, but Jones now says there are six victims.

Officers were dispatched to the building, located at 1000 Legion Place in downtown Orlando, around 11 a.m. on Friday after reports of a shooting.

Interstate 4 was closed at state Road 50 in both directions for several hours, but has reopened. Several schools in the area were locked down for several hours during the manhunt.