A former Fort Lauderdale, FL parks and recreation worker, who was fired for alleged drug abuse, returned to his work place this morning and opened fire with a handgun. When the smoke cleared, five of his former co-workers were dead and one was wounded. The gunman then allegedly turned the gun on himself and died at his own hand. At least one other person managed to get away and called 911 to request Ft. Lauderdale police, who arrived within minutes of the shooting.
Police said that they found six bodies inside a trailer used by the beach/park maintenance crews for administrative duties. The trailer is located just off the Intercostal waterway near Ft. Lauderdale beach. A seventh person, reportedly critically wounded, was taken to Broward County Hospital where he was immediately taken to surgery to treat his wounds. A local TV station, WTVJ, reported that all of the dead had been shot in the head.
According to a city worker at the site, the gunman had been fired several months ago, when he tested positive for drugs on a routine drug test. He was discharged from his employment shortly thereafter. The unidentified worker said that when he was fired that today's perpetrator made threats that he would return and get revenge for his firing, but that no one took him seriously. Another co-worker made allegations that the shooting may have been "racially motivated" and that the gunman was "paranoid" about "white people" and "thought they were all out to get him". Further confirmation of this later statement was not available at the time of this report.
The identities of the gunman and the deceased have not released by Ft. Lauderdale police, pending the notification of next-of-kin. An major crime scene investigation is reportedly underway.
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