Gunman, victims identified in Orlando workplace shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A Florida sheriff has identified a man suspected of fatally shooting five former co-workers and then killing himself.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says 45-year-old John Robert Neumann Jr. was responsible for the deaths Monday morning at Fiamma, an Orlando-area RV awning business.

The victims were identified as Robert Snyder, Brenda Motanez-Crespo, Kevin Clark, Jeffrey Roberts, and Kevin Lawson.

Demings says Neumann was armed with a handgun and a large hunting knife and killed himself just before deputies arrived.

Neumann was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1999. Demings says it appears Neumann was a disgruntled former employee acting alone. Deputies say eight witnesses survived the attack. One survivor told deputies Neumann spoke to her and told her to leave.

Authorities have found no connection to terrorism.

Demings characterized the shooting as a "workplace violence incident."

Watch video as SKYFOX flew over the scene

Neumann was not charged when he was accused of battering a co-worker in June 2014, the sheriff said. The alleged victim in that incident was not among the victims Monday, Demings said.

Shelley Adams said her sister, Sheila McIntyre, called her from the company's bathroom during the shooting and was very upset.

She kept repeating "My boss is dead. My boss is dead," Adams said after state and federal law enforcement authorities converged on the industrial park in Orlando.

Police were called at around 8 a.m. by a woman who ran from the awning business, saying the gunman had told her to leave. She used the phone of a tile business across the street to call 911, said Yamaris Gomez, the tile store's owner.

Fiamma Inc. calls itself one of the largest manufacturers of awnings for camper vans, motor coaches and sports utility vehicles.

The shooting was reported about 8 a.m. Monday. Several Orange County Fire and Rescue vehicles were seen leaving the scene afterward. A large police presence remained hours alter. No more details were immediately available.

Gov. Rick Scott said he had been briefed by law enforcement and that he and his wife, Ann, "are praying for the families who lost loved ones today."

"I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence," he added.