John Robert Neuman Jr., 45, walked into Fiamma Inc. off Forsyth Road in Orange County, near Full Sail University, just after 8 a.m., Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said in a news conference. Deputies arrived two minutes later, where they found three men and a woman dead at the scene. A fifth person, a man, was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Seven people survived the shooting.
Neumann, who later killed himself, was an army veteran who was discharged in 1999. He was fired from Fiamma Inc., an awning manufacturing company, back in April. The employee had a criminal history “minor in nature,” with arrests for possession of marijuana and DUI. Officers had been called to the company back in June 2014 for a “workplace violence incident” in which “he allegedly battled another employee here in the business,” Demings said. He added that Neumann had a “negative relationship” with one of the employees he killed.
Fiamma Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shelley Adams told The Associated Press that her sister, Sheila McIntyre, called her from the building’s bathroom during the shooting and was very upset. She kept repeating “My boss is dead. My boss is dead,” Adams said.
A witness said they heard multiple, very loud gunshots, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Demings said most of the victims were shot in the head and some of them suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Officials believe Neumann was the only gunman and there was no indication he was going to carry out the attack, according to Demings.
“This violence is frustrating. The only way we have a fighting chance is to ask the public to report any suspicious activity,” Demings said.
The FBI was on the scene assisting local police on the investigation, a spokesperson from the bureau told Fox News. But Demings said authorities could not “connect the incident to any global terrorism.”
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