Man arrested for shooting at a Charlotte County business where he used to work

Four rounds were fired toward a business in Charlotte County, and the guy deputies say did it used to work there.

Deputies say Jirarojn Madsalee, 37, admitted to waking up, grabbing his gun, and circling the building before firing.

Madsalee said he was unhappy with how he was treated, but the owner of Used Car Factory Sales and Services said he fired him because he acted aggressively toward co-workers and customers.

The secretary at this used car dealership was the first to see the bullet holes. She said it was frightening not knowing who the shooter was. On the other hand, the owner had a pretty good idea, which made calling deputies and giving him up difficult.

When Allen Prather’s secretary called him Thursday morning, he did not expect to hear someone had shot up his used car dealership, but he immediately figured out who pulled the trigger.

“I’ve recently terminated an employee, a disgruntled employee that had been making some attitude changes,” said Prather.

The employee, Jirarojn Madsalee, known as Jimmy, worked with Prather for about 12 years.

“He had been acting completely different than what is normal, around his peers, very confrontational,” said Prather.

Madsalee, a former close family friend, lives in a rental on one of Prather’s properties. “It was emotional. Very emotional. So you know, we’re watching over our shoulders.”

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrest report says Madsalee fired four rounds into the business. There was one bullet hole in the front window, another in Prather’s office, and one in a car.

Prather said when he checked his surveillance cameras, there was nothing to see.

“He hacked into the system and deleted the cloud playback on the surveillance,” Prather said. “Not knowing where he was or what he was doing was scary also because he’s capable of; obviously, he’ll do something crazy,” Prather said.

Eventually, deputies found Madsalee using street cameras and arrested him later in the afternoon.

Now, Prather hopes a judge refuses to give Madsalee a bond. He says he plans to change his shop’s surveillance system and do whatever he can to keep his employees, their families, and himself safe.