A former US marine in Florida murdered four people and fired on several others, including police, before being arrested.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Brian Riley, was a self-described survivalist, decked out in body armor and under the influence of methamphetamine. He had gone on a shooting rampage on a property outside Lakeland, Florida, murdering a 33-year-old mother, a 40-year-old man, a 62-year-old grandmother, a 3-month-old baby and the family's dog, Diogi, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference.
The property suffered extensive property damage, images of which were shared by Judd over social media.
More photos from the scene of the quadruple homicide in #Lakeland https://t.co/D6DOaLLc7u pic.twitter.com/KNuIIqNhXh
— Polk County Sheriff (@PolkCoSheriff) September 5, 2021
An 11-year-old girl was also wounded in the shooting. She was shot multiple times, but a full recovery is expected.
Riley also engaged in a firefight with police, with "dozens if not hundreds" of shots fired, before finally giving himself up.
The shooter first appeared randomly at the house where the shooting occurred on Saturday night, making nonsensical statements, but left by the time police responded.
He returned early Sunday morning, killing the man, woman, her baby boy and the family dog – and in the home next door, he also killed her mother, Judd said.
Here is the suspect, Bryan Riley. https://t.co/KRGl9Y3qu1 pic.twitter.com/MeZ1297IJ9
— Polk County Sheriff (@PolkCoSheriff) September 5, 2021
It is unclear why Riley chose to attack this particular family, as there is no apparent connection. However, Riley's girlfriend had told law enforcement that he had been acting strangely over the last week, claiming to get visions from God. She also said Riley was diagnosed with PTSD.
"He said at one point to our detectives, 'They begged for their lives and I killed them anyway,'" Judd said at a second news conference.
The sheriff revealed that Riley served for four years with the US Marines and was honorably discharged before spending three years in reserves. During his service, he saw time in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We're not dealing with a traditional criminal here," Judd explained. "What we're dealing with is someone who obviously had mental health issues."
Reuters contributed to this report.