Orlando shooter sought revenge

ORLANDO — The suspect in the Orlando Gateway Center Shooting has commented on his actions.

Asked by a reporter outside the police station why he did it, Rodriguez replied: “Because they left me to rot.”

All of the victims worked for Reynolds, Smith and Hills, an architecture firm. One was dead and five others were in stable condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center with gunshot wounds, police said.

About 50 employees work in the offices of the company on the eighth floor of the Gateway Center, an 18-story office building that was built in 1999.

Mike Bernos, a spokesman for the company, told NBC News that Rodriguez worked for the company until June 2007, when he was terminated for what he said was a “performance issue.”

Rodriguez was an entry-level engineer who was fired after working there for a year, Bernos said. “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.

Gerry Gilgo, who works on the floor where the shooting occurred, said she had been 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, a lawyer 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.