Former United States army sniper has killed four people, including a woman and her three-month-old baby boy, before surrendering to the Police in central Florida.
Gatekeepers News reports that the suspect which was identified as Bryan Riley also shot an 11-year-old girl who underwent surgery for seven gunshot injuries
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd at a news conference on Sunday said the suspect who had no connection to the victims, engaged in an intense shoot-out with police before giving up.
The Sheriff explained that Riley first appeared randomly at the house where the shooting occurred on Saturday night, making nonsensical statements, but left by the time police responded.
He, however, returned early on Sunday, killing a 40-year-old man, and the 33-year-old mother and her baby, according to Judd who added that in the home next door, Riley also killed the 62-year-old mother of the woman.
“In addition to that, if he’s not evil enough, he shot and killed the family dog,” Judd said.
The Sheriff said deputies responding to reports of two volleys of automatic gunfire arrived to find the suspect unarmed outside, wearing camouflage and body armour.
Riley then went back inside and “we heard another volley, and a woman scream, and a baby whimper”, Judd said.
The Police then engage in a gunfight with him before he came out unarmed and was arrested.
“It would have been nice if he would have come out with a gun … We would have shot him up a lot. But he didn’t because he was a coward,” Judd said. “When someone chooses to give up, we take them into custody peacefully.”
Riley reportedly attempted to grab a police officer’s gun while being treated in the hospital for his own gunshot wound but was subdued again.
Gatekeepers News reports that Riley is said to be a veteran of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and had worked as a bodyguard and security guard.
The suspect’s girlfriend told investigators that he suffered from a post-traumatic stress disorder and occasional depression, adding about a week ago his mental health worsened and he started “speaking with God”.
“He said at one point to our detectives, ‘They begged for their lives and I killed them anyway,’” said Judd.
Riley reportedly informed sheriff’s deputies he was high on methamphetamine.
