The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Two dead in Melbourne, Fla. mall shooting

Two dead in Melbourne, Fla. mall shooting

By Scotty Schenck, photo editor

Two people are dead in Melbourne, Fla. after gunshots rang out in the Melbourne Square Mall food court. Reports came  into police at about 9:30 a.m., 30 minutes before when the mall was scheduled to open. The shooter’s name was revealed at a later press conference as 57-year-old Jose Garcia Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was carrying three handguns and ammunition inside the mall.

He was in a domestic dispute with his wife in the food court when he allegedly pulled out a gun and shot her. A co-worker of his wife tried to remove the gun from Rodriguez’s possession and, during the skirmish, the co-worker was shot and killed. Rodriguez then turned the gun on himself and later died at a hospital of his self-inflicted wounds, according to reports by Fox News.

Rodriguez’s wife was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center. Ida Garcia is in good condition and was cooperating with authorities on the investigation, according to CNN affiliate WESH.

The mall was evacuated and then closed and did not reopen, according to Fox News, but is expected to open up again on Sunday. Mall officials posted to social media about the incident.

“Due to the unfortunate incident at the mall this morning we are closed until further notice. We are still gathering information as the police conduct their investigation,” said a Melbourne Square Mall spokesperson on the facility’s Facebook page.

According to Fox News, about 100 people were in the mall, most of whom were employees preparing stores to open.

In an interview with Florida Today on Saturday, Donna Evans said that she was near the shooting when it occurred.

“We had just gotten our food to sit down by Starbucks and Chick-fil-A, and you just hear the ‘pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,’ and you just drop everything and your body just makes you run,” Evans said.

Photo courtesy Melbourne Police Department.

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