Florida mall reopens after shooting that left 2 dead

Melbourne (US), Jan 19: A shopping mall in central Florida reopened, a day after a shooting in its food court that left two people dead, including the gunman, and one injured. Melbourne Square Mall yesterday reopened for normal business hours at noon.

Police said 57-year-old Jose Garcia-Rodriguez of Palm Bay shot his wife and Leonardo Coppola before turning the gun on himself in the mall's food court shortly before the mall opened Saturday morning. Idanerys Garcia-Rodriguez, who worked at the mall, survived and was hospitalized in good condition.

Police said the 33-year-old woman was the intended victim in the shooting that apparently stemmed from a domestic violence incident. Coppola, 36, of West Melbourne, owned a restaurant in the food court. He was shot as he tried to move Idanerys Garcia-Rodriguez out of harm's way, police said yesterday.

The mall was closed while police investigated. Yesterday, Florida Today reported that a half-dozen flower bouquets and several white candles were displayed on the counter of a closed pizza restaurant in the food court. Neighbors of the couple, who have two daughters, said they had seemed close. "They would walk hand-in-hand all the time," Raymond Jacobs, who lives across the street from the couple's well-manicured home, told Florida Today.

AP