Investigators have confirmed that a disgruntled US employee returned to his former place of work, a factory in Orlando, and aimed shots at five of his former co-workers before eventually taking his own life.
The gunman, identified as John Robert Neumann entered the factory at Orlando, Florida in the early hours of Monday with a semi-automatic handgun and a hunting knife. According to Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, the 45-year-old Neumann did not have a good working relationship with one of his former colleagues at Fiamma Inc. He killed himself as security officials were approaching the company. Demings said “He was certainly singling out the individuals that he shot.” Officials have also confirmed that he did not have a permit for the weapon. Some of the victims were identified as Robert Snyder, 69, Brenda Montanez-Crespo, 44, Kevin Clark, 53, Kevin Lawson, 46 and Jeffrey Roberts, 57. Some of them were shot in the head.
Neumann was a former army official who was honorably discharged in 1999. He had a criminal history and police officials confirmed that Neumann was quizzed in June 2014 after he was accused of battering a co-worker. Yesterday’s incident occurred at about 8 a.m. Security officials arrived a few minutes later after receiving an alert from the tile business store across the street.
This latest incident comes a week before the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting that claimed the lives of 49 people in Orlando. The Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, described the incident as a “senseless act of violence.” He said in a statement, “Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before.”
Fiamma Inc. released a statement on Tuesday expressing her sadness and disbelief over the incident. The statement reads, “The Company is heartbroken following the unspeakable attack upon our loved ones and employees. In these dark hours we ask for thoughts and prayers for all the victims of this tragedy and their families.”
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