81-year-old man shot boss over work criticism before taking his smoke break, police claimHannah Broughton Mon, October 19, 2026 at 7:40 AM UTC
Jose Lopez attended court via his hospital bed (Image: Local 10)
A man in Florida has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly shooting his boss for telling him to stop falling asleep at work.
81-year-old Jose Lopez was arrested and charged in connection with the death of his boss, Delio Trasobares, 61. The case began after cops responded to Metro Express, a company owned by the victim in Medley, Florida, on October 14, as per the affidavit viewed by Law&Crime.
After receiving reports of a shooting, the officers bizarrely discovered Lopez riding a tricycle in the company parking lot. Lopez then "spontaneously" told the officers, "I did it," as they approached the man, the affidavit said.
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The officers proceeded to arrest Lopez before asking if he had any weapons on him, to which he reportedly replied that the murder weapon was "next to the microwave."
Police made their way into the business and discovered Trasobares on the floor with a gunshot wound in his chest. The officers swiftly called for assistance, and the man was airlifted to the hospital, but was later pronounced deceased.
Witnesses at Metro Express told police that on the morning of the alleged crime, Trasobares arrived for work just before 7:30 a.m. and found Lopez in the repair shop with another employee.
The defendant had apparently been sleeping at the business and was told this was not allowed, police told local ABC affiliate WPLG. When Trasobares found out he was still doing it, he asked him to leave.
According to the other employees, Lopez then got out of his chair, walked over to a shelf, and picked up a .40-caliber firearm. He is said to have shouted, in Spanish, "Go [expletive] yourself! [Expletive] your mother," while allegedly shooting Trasobares in the chest. While trying to walk away, his boss then collapsed in the doorway.
Jose Lopez allegedly shot his boss after being scolded (Image: Local 10)
After the violence unfolded, the employees said they started calling 911 while watching Lopez walk out to smoke a cigarette. That was when he "began to ride a tricycle around the parking lot" until the police arrived to arrest him.
When speaking about why he allegedly committed the crime, detectives said that Lopez told them he was "fed up" and "had enough" of his boss "insulting him and complaining."
The 81-year-old was reportedly also taken to the hospital after he complained of chest pains, and attended his first court appearance remotely from his hospital bed.
Lopez was denied bond and booked into jail after being discharged. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, October 19.
Source: Crime
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