Florida This article is more than 9 years old'Domestic violence' may have sparked Florida mall shooting – police
This article is more than 9 years old- Jose Garcia Rodriguez, 57, kills one man and himself in Melbourne
- Gunman’s wife wounded but in ‘good condition’ at hospital
A Florida man brought three handguns and several pockets full of ammunition to the Melbourne Square mall, where he shot and killed one man and himself in what appears to have been an unsuccessful attempt to shoot his wife, police said.
“Detectives are continuing to work to identify the motive,” Melbourne police commander Vince Pryce told reporters on Saturday afternoon, following the morning shooting. “Initially, we do believe this may stem from a domestic violence incident.”
Pryce said police received multiple 911 calls at about 9.30am, reporting an active shooter at the Melbourne Square mall, on Florida’s east coast, where about 100 people were readying to open shops, walking or drinking coffee and eating.
At that time the suspected gunman, Jose Garcia Rodriguez, 57, of Palm Bay, was in the mall’s food court. There he attempted to shoot his wife, shot and killed another man and turned the gun on himself.
Police did not clarify whether the intended target, Ida Garcia, 33, also of Palm Bay, was a mall employee or a visitor, but said she was now in “good condition” at a local hospital.
Police said “multiple” shots were fired during the incident, mirroring witness accounts.
“All the sudden you just hear the pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, and you just drop everything and your body makes you run,” Donna Evans told Florida Today, saying she was sitting down to eat when the shooting happened.
Like Evans, many others fled the mall when they heard shots. Police said mall security recovered a number of personal items which were dropped as people attempted to escape or take cover.
Police said the mall had been cleared by about 10.40am.
“These are the kind of incidents we train for, we plan for, but we hope we never have to deal with,” said Melbourne police chief Steve Mimbs. “What I’d like to do is express my deepest concern and condolences for the families that were tragically affected today.”
Police did not identify the type of handguns Rodriguez used in the shooting. It was not immediately known when police would release the identity of the third victim, who died.
Police said they were working with the mall’s owner, the Simon Property Group, to reopen the mall on Sunday. The shopping center is about three miles from Florida’s east coast, on the west side of Melbourne. The city is home to about 77,000 people, and is part of the Palm Bay area.
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