“When I investigated scenes involving a depth of inexplicable destruction, there were always one or more bystanders who offer-up grains which, at the time, they never correlated to something amiss… until it was too late.”
Today’s killing spree in an Orlando, Florida-area business involved a man whose employment at the homicide scene had precursors leading up to his wrath culminating in five murders of colleagues before extinguishing himself with a firearm. Albeit sadistic, somber and sad, this incident is one among many whereby, post-event, we see a history of calamitous building blocks. Both foreign and domestic terrorists often presciently telegraph signs, social media posts, pre-incident confessions, patterns of volatility…or all of the aforementioned combined.
As Orange County, Florida Sheriff Jerry L. Demings took to the podium at this morning’s graphic crime scene and explained the chain of events, including history involving the disgruntled and terminated employee who returned to exact retribution for what he apparently felt were wrongs against him.
The perpetrator in this morning’s carnage which injured seven people and ended the lives of five before committing suicide is identified as John Robert Neumann, 45. Mr. Neumann was honorably discharged from the US Army in 1999, lived alone, and had no family in the area. Via several live reports and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) website, Sheriff Demings said it appears Neumann was acting alone, was armed with a handgun and a hunting knife, and ended the murderous incident before law enforcement arrived at the shooting scene.
Initially called in as an “active shooter” incident, Sheriff Demings noted that his deputies responded within two minutes to find the carnage and tape-off a crime scene.
Among intermittent press conferences, law enforcement in Orlando kept reiterating for persons to “report anything suspicious” and posted the banner credo “See something, say something.” The OCSO Twitter account had back-to-back postings as follows:
“This violence is frustrating. The only way we have a fighting chance is to ask the public to report any suspicious activity” preceded by “Nothing to indicate shooter was going to act today. We can only ask people to notify law enforcement on any suspicious activity.”
Both of those statements by Orange County’s top cop sound as if there may have been some unreported circumstances before Mr. Neumann exacted toll on a dozen coworkers before killing himself.
The shooting spree which started at 08:03 this morning may have been abated by perhaps the smallest of details by a discriminating citizen. Never one to speculate, I believe more will evolve relating to Neumann and some signaling he provided, even if unwittingly.
When I investigated scenes involving a depth of inexplicable destruction, there were always one or more bystanders who offer-up grains which, at the time, they never correlated to something amiss… until it was too late. My guess is that is what Sheriff Demings is alluding to here. Whether someone saw Neumann’s weapon(s), him acting “different”, or any number of atypical nuances, will likely come out in the wash.
Although Sheriff Demings declared there is as of yet no indication a forewarning was present, he did indicate the investigation is still unfolding and that all five former coworkers Neumann killed were shot in the head, “some multiple times.” That surely sounds like malice and preconceived retribution. Demings added that survivors provided accounts of Neumann singling out his victims, and that punctuates a personal nature. One of the slain individuals was said to be “a boss,” leading us to believe this workplace violence stemmed from Neumann’s employment being terminated in April 2017. Further denoting this point is that Neumann told one coworker to “get out,” sparing her life.
Reloading his firearm was observed by the survivors Neumann spared. Again, all this in under two minutes from the time 9-1-1 received the called to deputies arriving on scene strongly implies someone with a definitive plan who carried it out successfully. Foreboding symptoms likely preluded the actual event. As Sheriff Demings offered, “In situations like this, my experience tells me that this individual made a deliberate thought to do what he did today. He had a plan of action and he executed his plan today.” And that is exactly my point. A “deliberate thought” leading to fulfilling a plan often has concessions somewhere, whether written down, logged into a personal computer or a mere off-handed mention to kin, a friend or neighbor.
Orange County criminal history records indicate deputies responding to today’s crime scene three years ago in regards to Neumann battering a coworker. Did that 2014 workplace violence incident spawn today’s debacle? Sheriff Demings acknowledged that Neumann’s prior criminal misdeeds include drug use and DUI.
According to Heavy.com, Neumann had arrests in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2009, and again in 2010, as follows:
“He was charged with fleeing from a law enforcement officer (high-speed pursuit), willfully fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer on August 21, 1995 by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office [Florida]. He was also charged in that incident with running a stop sign, driving without a seatbelt, and driving with a suspended license. He pleaded guilty to all of those charges and was sentenced to probation. In 2000, he was charged with violating his probation and sentenced to nine days in jail.
“In December 1999, Neumann was arrested by the Altamonte Springs Police Department in Seminole County [Florida] and charged with theft, felony driving with a suspended license, giving a false name [to law enforcement] and driving without insurance or registration. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.”
“Neumann was charged with felony possession of stolen property in March 2003 by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, along with felony possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was again charged with habitual traffic offender status [a Felony in Florida] with a stolen license and received a total of 378 days in jail for that incident.”
“His last arrest came in December 2009, when he was charged with possession of not more than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property by the Altamonte Springs Police Department. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail in February 2010.”
As I write this, Orange County sheriff’s detectives cordoned-off Neumann’s modest home while, via a search warrant, they go through his Maitland, Florida trailer park home. The components of a fruitful search will chronicle this murder spree further. In research for this article, I discovered a Warrant issued by the Florida Department of Revenue for “back taxes.” In the Seminole County, Florida, Clerk of the Court’s site, this Warrant was issued 11 days before today’s shooting and lists a “John R. Neumann” at a Maitland, Florida address.
