The News-Courier in Athens, Alabama

November 9, 2009

Witness: Fla. office shooter stayed about a minute




ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man who was in an Orlando office when a former employee came in and started shooting says the ordeal that left one dead and five injured lasted about a minute.

Mark Davidson, a vice president at the engineering firm Reynolds, Smith and Hills, said Monday that his co-workers stayed calm Friday and didn’t scream as Jason Rodriguez entered a reception area of the eighth-floor office and began shooting.

Rodriguez has been charged with first-degree murder.

Orlando Police Chief Val Demings says more charges are expected.

An attorney for Rodriguez has portrayed the 40-year-old as a mentally ill man who fell victim to countless personal and financial problems.