Inset: Jose Lopez appears in court on video from his hospital bed (WPLG). Background: News footage of the scene of the shooting at Metro Express in Medley, Fla. (WPLG).
A Florida man who was told to stop falling asleep at his workplace allegedly shot the boss who kept reprimanding him.
Jose Lopez, 81, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 61-year-old Delio Trasobares. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, police responded to Metro Express, a company owned by Trasobares that is located in Medley, Florida, on the morning of Oct. 14 after receiving reports that a man had been shot. When officers arrived, they found Lopez riding a tricycle in the parking lot of the business.
As the officers approached Lopez, he “spontaneously” told them, “I did it,” according to the affidavit.
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After the officers placed Lopez under arrest, they asked if he had any weapons on him. He reportedly said the gun he allegedly used was “next to the microwave.”
When police went inside the business, they found Trasobares on the floor with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the affidavit, Metro Express employees told police that on the morning of the alleged shooting, Trasobares arrived shortly before 7:30 a.m. and found Lopez and another employee in the repair shop. Police told local ABC affiliate WPLG that Lopez had been sleeping at Metro Express and was told he was not allowed to do so. When Trasobares found out Lopez was still sleeping there, he told Lopez to leave.
The other employees told police that after the scolding, Lopez got out of his chair and walked over to a shelf, from which he retrieved a .40-caliber firearm. Lopez then reportedly said, “Go [expletive] yourself! [Expletive] your mother,” in Spanish while allegedly shooting Trasobares in the chest. Trasobares attempted to walk away before collapsing in the doorway.
While they called 911, witnesses told police they watched Lopez walk out of the building to smoke a cigarette. He then “began to ride a tricycle around the parking lot” until police arrived.
Lopez was taken to the hospital after he complained of chest pains. During his first court appearance, which he attended remotely from his hospital bed, he was denied bond. He was booked into jail after being discharged.
During an interview with detectives, Lopez reportedly said he was “fed up” and “had enough” of Trasobares “insulting him and complaining.”
Lopez is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The post Man scolded for falling asleep on the job shot his boss in the chest then went out for a smoke and a tricycle ride: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
