Not many details have yet emerged from a deadly incident in Orlando, Florida, which appears to have ended before media knew it began. According to the Orange County sheriff’s media team, law enforcement has “stabilized” the situation, but not before “multiple fatalities” occurred in what seems to be a workplace shooting:
OCSO working shooting scene that has stabilized. Multiple fatalities. Situation contained. Sheriff will brief as soon as info is accurate.
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) June 5, 2017
Breaking News: Multiple deaths confirmed after shooting in Orlando, Orange County sheriff says. https://t.co/A9HAqwhDS1 pic.twitter.com/jruavtu8cZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 5, 2017
Everyone seems to agree that police have the incident “contained,” but that’s not to say whether they have anyone in custody or whether the suspect is still alive. Fox suggested that the incident took place at a college in the neighborhood, but CBS later reported that it appears to have taken place at an auto-body shop:
MORE: One confirmed shooting and multiple fatalities at Orlando, FL business, authorities say https://t.co/B7NKuUMEnd pic.twitter.com/78iiRNTWYR
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 5, 2017
So far there seems to be no indication of terrorism, but that may change, too, depending on the site. A college might be a target for that, but an auto-body shop seems like a strange choice for that motive. For the moment, the media seems to be taking a lead from local law-enforcement and treating it as an incident of workplace violence. However, as with all breaking-news incidents, keep a few grains of salt handy for any initial details reported through the media.
The OCSO isn’t taking any chances with its public statements, as the AP notes about the tweet above. They sent out a tweet a few moments ago promising updates soon:
OCSO on shooting scene w/ multiple fatalities. Situation contained, Now investigating tragic incident & will soon have accurate information
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) June 5, 2017
Stay tuned. We’ll update when more details reliably emerge.
Update, 10:05 am ET: So far, there hasn’t been any more details coming out through the national media, which speaks well of OCSO’s operations. Their media relations staff is getting the latest now, though, so something should be coming soon.
Sheriff Demings on scene of tragic shooting with multiple fatalities. Getting briefing. Will address media shortly. pic.twitter.com/f7jZrmXuhl
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) June 5, 2017
Update, 10:49 am: Some reports say the shooter has been killed, but so far no word on that from OCSO. Also, workers at the auto-body shop called CBS to tell them that the shooting took place elsewhere:
Authorities have not named the business. Police have gathered in front of Gerber Collision & Glass, but workers at the business called CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG-TV to say the shooting didn’t take place there. The workers told the station they didn’t know where the shooting took place.
This is a good reminder that initially reported details should be taken with some skepticism. Police are telling the media that they do not suspect this was a case of terrorism. They will hold a press conference in ten minutes or so to state what they know thus far of the shooting.
Update: The shooter was a disgruntled ex-worker who killed himself — but not before taking the lives of four others:
Police: Orlando shooter was a former employee of the business; he shot 5 people before killing himself https://t.co/pKCBhj75Qt
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 5, 2017
He had just been fired a few weeks ago, according to the police.
Update: He killed four others, not five; the police had included the shooter in the body count. Three of the victims were men, and one was a woman.
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