John Robert Neumann Jr. and the 2017 Fiamma Workplace Massacre
Former Employee Returns to Fiamma
John Robert Neumann Jr. was responsible for a deadly workplace shooting on June 5, 2017, at Fiamma Inc., a company located at 2427 North Forsyth Road in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. Neumann, who was 45 years old, had previously worked at the business, which manufactured awnings and other accessories for recreational vehicles. He had been dismissed from his position in April 2017, approximately two months before the attack.
Authorities described Neumann as a disgruntled former employee. Investigators found no evidence that the shooting was connected to terrorism or an organized extremist movement. Although revenge connected to his termination was considered a likely explanation, investigators were unable to establish a definitive motive because Neumann died at the scene and left no clear public explanation for his actions.
Earlier Workplace Conflict
Neumann had experienced problems with coworkers before the massacre. In June 2014, law enforcement officers responded to Fiamma after he was accused of battering another employee. The coworker reportedly chose not to pursue criminal charges, and Neumann remained employed by the company at that time. The person involved in that earlier confrontation was not among those killed during the 2017 shooting.
By April 2017, Neumann's employment had ended following additional workplace disputes. Robert Snyder, a manager at Fiamma, was reportedly involved in Neumann's dismissal. People familiar with the situation later said there had been concern that Neumann might return and seek revenge. Those fears became a reality on the morning of June 5.
The Morning of June 5, 2017
At approximately 7:50 a.m., Neumann entered the Fiamma building through a rear entrance. He was carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, a large hunting knife and a smaller knife. Neither knife was used during the attack. An employee greeted Neumann as he entered, but Neumann did not respond and continued walking into the workplace.
About a dozen employees were inside the facility as the workday was beginning. Neumann moved through the building and deliberately approached particular employees. Investigators later concluded that his victims had been singled out rather than selected randomly. He first entered the front-office area, where he shot two employees, and then continued to a break room, where he killed three more.
Neumann discharged approximately 24 rounds during the attack. Several victims were shot multiple times, and authorities said most suffered gunshot wounds to the head. One victim was reportedly struck eight times. The sequence of events demonstrated that Neumann had entered the business prepared to kill and had directed his violence toward specific former coworkers.
Employees Who Escaped
Eight employees escaped from the workplace without physical injuries. During the shooting, Neumann encountered at least one woman and pointed his firearm at her. Instead of shooting, he ordered her to leave. She fled the building and survived. Other employees escaped or found shelter while emergency calls were placed to law enforcement.
The selective nature of Neumann's actions was an important part of the investigation. He passed some workers without attacking them while pursuing the five people he killed. Investigators found no indication that he intended to attack the surrounding community or another business after leaving Fiamma.
The Five Victims
- Robert Snyder, 69 — Snyder was a manager at Fiamma Inc. and was killed on June 5, 2017, inside the company's facility at 2427 North Forsyth Road in Orange County, Florida. He had reportedly participated in the decision to dismiss Neumann from his job.
- Brenda Montanez-Crespo, 44 — Montanez-Crespo was an employee of Fiamma Inc. She was shot and killed inside the workplace on June 5, 2017.
- Kevin Clark, 53 — Clark was killed inside the Fiamma facility on June 5, 2017. His death left two teenage children without a surviving parent because their mother had died several years earlier.
- Kevin Lawson, 46 — Lawson was an employee who had reportedly expressed concern that Neumann might return to the company and harm someone. He was killed inside the business on June 5, 2017.
- Jeffery Roberts, 57 — Roberts was shot and killed while working at Fiamma Inc. on June 5, 2017. His name was also reported in some early accounts as Jeffrey Roberts.
Neumann's Death
Orange County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the business after receiving reports of gunfire. As deputies arrived and began approaching the building, Neumann used his handgun to shoot himself in the head. He died at the scene, bringing the total number of deaths to six, including the perpetrator.
No police officer fired a weapon during the response, and no surviving employee suffered a gunshot wound. Investigators recovered the handgun, ammunition and two unused knives. The scene covered several areas of the business and required investigators to document the locations of the victims, cartridge casings and other evidence before their bodies could be removed.
Investigation and Autopsy Findings
The Orange County Sheriff's Office conducted an extensive investigation using physical evidence, employee interviews, emergency calls, surveillance information and autopsy findings. Investigators reconstructed Neumann's movements from the rear entrance to the front office, the break room and the location where he died.
An autopsy later found that Neumann had alcohol in his system and was legally intoxicated when he committed the murders and killed himself. Intoxication may have affected his judgment, but it did not fully explain why he selected the five victims or why he had returned armed to his former workplace.
Neumann had a relatively minor prior criminal history that included traffic-related offenses, marijuana possession, driving under the influence and misdemeanor allegations. Authorities said they were unaware of a diagnosed mental illness that would have provided a clear warning that he was preparing to commit mass murder. He did not have a Florida concealed-weapons permit.
Military Background
Neumann had previously served in the United States Army. He entered military service in the early 1990s and received firearms training. His military career ended with an honorable discharge after he failed to meet physical standards. Investigators did not identify his military service as a direct cause of the massacre, but it was part of his personal background and demonstrated that he had prior experience handling firearms.
Impact on the Orlando Community
The massacre occurred less than one week before the first anniversary of the June 12, 2016, attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The timing intensified the grief felt throughout a community that was still mourning the 49 victims murdered at Pulse. Public officials emphasized that the Fiamma shooting was an act of workplace violence and was not connected to the Pulse attack.
Fiamma issued a statement expressing heartbreak over the deaths of its employees. Vigils and memorial gatherings were held for the victims, allowing relatives, friends and coworkers to remember them as individuals rather than merely as names associated with another mass shooting.
Community organizations also raised money for surviving family members. Particular attention was given to Kevin Clark's two teenage children, who had already lost their mother and were left without either parent following their father's murder.
Warnings and Unanswered Questions
After the killings, relatives and acquaintances of the victims described earlier worries about Neumann. Kevin Lawson had reportedly told his father that employees feared Neumann might return after being fired. Robert Snyder was also said to have expressed concern about possible retaliation. No specific attack date or detailed plan was known, however, and Neumann was not arrested or legally prohibited from possessing a firearm before June 5.
Because Neumann killed himself, he was never arrested, prosecuted or required to explain his actions in court. The available evidence strongly suggested that anger over his dismissal and resentment toward selected employees contributed to the murders. Nevertheless, the exact thoughts and events that transformed his workplace grievances into a planned mass killing remain unknown.
Legacy of the Fiamma Shooting
The Fiamma massacre became one of the most serious acts of workplace violence in Florida history. It demonstrated how an unresolved employment conflict, personal resentment and access to a firearm could combine with devastating consequences. The fact that Neumann deliberately spared some workers while killing others showed that the attack was not an uncontrolled outburst against everyone present. It was a targeted act of mass murder.
The case also renewed discussion about recognizing threats made by former employees, documenting workplace confrontations and improving communication between employers and law enforcement when retaliation is feared. Although no single procedure can predict every violent act, the deaths of Robert Snyder, Brenda Montanez-Crespo, Kevin Clark, Kevin Lawson and Jeffery Roberts became a lasting reminder of the importance of treating credible workplace threats seriously.
On June 5, 2017, five people arrived at Fiamma expecting an ordinary workday and were murdered by a former colleague who returned with a weapon. Neumann's suicide prevented a trial and left the victims' families without the opportunity to confront him in court. The enduring focus of the tragedy remains on the five employees whose lives were taken and the relatives, coworkers and community members forced to live with the consequences of his actions.
