A man identified as a recently fired employee on Friday fatally shot two people in the parking lot of a car rental agency near Miami International Airport, police said.
The afternoon shooting in the parking lot of Alamo Rent-a-Car left two people dead and three slightly injured, said Metro-Dade Police Detective Don Blocker."We heard some gunfire and somebody said, `Hey that's a popgun going off,' " said Larry Bergman, 38, visiting Miami from Coram, N.Y. "Then there were people running in the parking lot and people running around in general panic."
Alamo confirmed the two men killed were managers but did not release their names. The Fort Lauderdale-based chain issued a statement calling the shootout "an isolated and unavoidable tragedy."
"We've been in business for 16 years and have not experienced an incident like this," the statement said. "We will be doing what we can to comfort the families involved."
A man, a former employee believed in his 20s, was taken into custody at the lot east of the airport, Blocker said. His name was not released.
Some witnesses said the man had a pistol and a shotgun and stopped shooting when he ran out of ammunition.
Alamo employee Robert Lopez said the gunman arrested was a five-year Alamo veteran who once was dependable worker, "but lately he was slacking off."
The gunman arrived in a taxi, ran into the building and appeared to be looking for someone, Lopez said.