With possibly 8 people shot and 2 dead (authorities confirm 1 dead and 5 shot), police have locked down downtown Orlando, Florida, looking for Jason Rodriguez, 
Nov 6, 2009 01:01 PM
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With possibly 8 people shot and 2 dead (authorities confirm 1 dead and 5 shot), police have locked down downtown Orlando, Florida, looking for Jason Rodriguez, who shot up an office building earlier today. Update: Rodriguez has been apprehended.
Update: Alleged shooter Jason Rodriguez has been arrested. One person is confirmed dead, five confirmed shot, and one man was hospitalized with chest pains. Rodriguez was located at his mother's house.
The shooter is described as wearing a "blue shirt and jeans." He reportedly walked into the office of an architectural firm on the 8th floor and opened fire. And according to an unconfirmed local news report, there were bodies found on the 8th and 10th floor of the building. (This has also been reported as bodies the 4th and 12th floors—authorities have only confirmed "six victims" transported to hospitals and list the number of victims at "under ten" still.)
It has been reported that Rodriguez is a former employee of the firm he attacked.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, there were, earlier, people still barricaded in at least one office, unclear on whether or not it's safe to leave. At this point, the search for the shooter seems to have expanded to surrounding buildings and even other parts of the city.
Cops identified the shooter earlier as Jason Rodriguez. He is driving a silver Nissan SUV, and they are asking the public for help locating him. He might in a "perimeter-area building" but the authorities either don't know where he is or don't want anyone to know that they know where he is. The report of "17 victims" is apparently inaccurate: the cops still say the number of victims is "below ten."
There is a Tweeting Haitian rapper on the scene. Seriously.
The target of Rodriguez's wrath was, according to police, Renyolds, Smith & Hills, an engineering firm with offices in the building.
Rodriguez was fired last year after a year of work, and he reportedly took it hard. He has no criminal record, but he is deeply in debt and recently filed for bankruptcy. "They left me to rot,'' he told TV reporters after he was arrested.
Reporters shouted out questions as he was being led away by police. They asked if he was referring to his former employer.
"No. No. I'm angry,'' he responded.
Send an email to Alex Pareene, the author of this post, at alexp@gawker.com.
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