A gunman on Wednesday killed five people in a bank in central Florida and then called police to inform them of the shooting before he eventually surrendered, local authorities said.
The shooting occurred at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring, a town of about 10,000 people 153km south of Orlando, at about 12:30pm, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said at a news conference.
The 21-year-old suspect, identified as Zephen Xaver, called 911 dispatchers and said he had shot five people inside the bank, authorities said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
When police entered the bank, the gunman had barricaded himself inside, but eventually surrendered, the Sebring Police Department said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Police did not offer any details about a possible motive.
“Today has been a tragic day in our community,” Hoglund said. “We’ve suffered significant loss at the hands of a senseless criminal doing a senseless crime.”
No information has been released about the victims, who were the only people in the bank at the time of the shooting, police said.
“We are working closely with officials and seeking to take care of everyone affected at our Sebring, Florida branch,” bank spokeswoman Sue Mallino said.
A spokeswoman for Stevens-Henager College in Utah said that Xaver was an online student from September to last month before he voluntarily withdrew.
Xaver lived for a time in northwest Indiana, local news in Indiana reported, citing social media accounts associated with the same name.
Xaver was hired in November to work at Avon Park Correctional Institution, a Florida Department of Corrections prison, before he resigned earlier this month, a report by FloridaToday.com said, citing state officials.
Avon Park did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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