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Orlando Shooting Suspect Held On No Bond; Reward Offered

Father, 26, Killed In Orlando High-Rise Shooting

POSTED: Friday, November 6, 2009
UPDATED: 1:04 pm EST November 8, 2009

Jason Rodriguez was formally charged with first-degree murder and ordered to be held on no bond on charges he shot five people, killing one in a downtown office building on Friday.

Rodriguez made his first court appearance Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

Crimeline is now offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can provide information about Rodriguez's whereabouts from the time the crime was committed at 11:45 a.m. Friday until he was arrested around 2:15 p.m.

Police on Friday released the name of the shooting victim killed when a man opened fire at an Orlando high-rise.

Police said 26-year-old Otis Beckford died in the shooting that wounded five others.

The other five victims have been identified by police as 39-year-old, Gregory Hornbeck; 40-year-old Ferrell Hickson; 62-year-old Guy Lugenbeel; 34-year-old Edward Severino and 27-year-old Keyondra Harrison.

Police charged Jason Rodriguez, 40, with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting spree after an extensive search.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said Rodriguez 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.

Witnesses at Rodriguez's mothers home said his mother came out of the apartment first, in tears, and then Rodriguez was brought out by police.

Otis Beckford
Otis Beckford, 26, was killed in a shooting at a downtown Orlando engineering firm on Friday.

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

Police said the shooting began around 11:45 a.m. at the Gateway Center located at 1000 Legions Place in downtown Orlando. Demings said Rodriguez was somehow able to leave the building, resulting in a search that ended around 2 p.m. She said tips from Crimeline helped lead to Rodriguez's arrest. She also said speedy police work helped quickly capture the suspect.

Orlando Police Sgt. Barb Jones said the shooting took place at Reynolds, Smith $ Hills, an engineering and construction firm located on the eighth floor of the high-rise office building.

Police said they found Beckford without any vitals at the scene.

A family member said Beckford was the father of a 7-month-old and was about to get married. They said he was an architect at the engineering firm.


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.

ORMC said two victims are recovering from surgery. Another patient at Florida Hospital is reportedly in good condition.

Reynolds, Smith $ Hills 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.

Camille Previlon told The Associated Press her uncle, engineer Guy Lugenbeel, 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."

Orlando shooter arrested
A gunman accused of killing one person and wounding five others at an Orlando high-rise is apprehended, police say.

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. Rodriguez was divorced in 2006, lost his job at the engineering firm in 2007 and filed for bankruptcy in February 2009.

Police initially said at least eight people were shot.

Crimeline is asking that if you recognize Rodriguez or remember seeing anything Friday in relation to this case to please contact them at 1-800-423-TIPS or the Orlando Police Department at 321-235-5300.
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