US: Former marine kills 4, including mother still holding baby in Florida

A man wearing full body armor fatally shot four people including a mother and the 3monthold baby she was cradling and engaged in a massive gunfight with police and deputies before he was wounded and surrendered a Florida sheriff said Sunday An 11yearold girl who was shot seven times survivedPolk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference that even after 33yearold Bryan Riley was arrested Sunday morning he was so aggressive that he tried to wrestle a gun from police as he lay on his hospital gurneyJudd said Riley a former Marine who served as a sharpshooter in both Iraq and Afghanistan seemed to have targeted his victims at random and appeared to be suffering from mental health issues Judd said Rileys girlfriend told authorities Riley had been slowly unraveling for weeks and repeatedly told her that he could communicate directly with GodAlso Read 2 killed in shooting at Wisconsin casino gunman slainldquoThey begged for their lives and I killed them anywayrdquo Judd said Riley told them during an interrogationInvestigators said preliminary evidence shows 40yearold Justice Gleason just happened to be an unlucky stranger out mowing his lawn Saturday night when Riley drove by his home in Lakeland about 30 miles 4828 kilometers east of Tampa saying God told him to stop because Gleasons daughter was going to commit suicideA second unidentified person also confronted Riley telling him that story wasnt true and warned theyd call police if he didnt leave Judd said He referred to the person as a victim but declined to clarify which oneAuthorities responded to the scene but never found RileyAbout nine hours later around 430 am Riley returned to the home laying out glowsticks to create a path leading to the house to draw officers ldquointo an ambushrdquo Judd saidRandomly a lieutenant far in the distance heard popping noises and immediately put the agency on activeshooter mode bringing all state and local law enforcement in the area to the sceneFollowing the sounds of gunfire authorities arrived at the home and found Rileys white truck ablaze and an unarmed Riley outside dressed in camouflageRiley immediately ran inside where authorities heard another round of gunfire ldquoa woman scream and a baby whimperrdquo Judd saidOfficers tried to enter the front of the house but it was barricaded When they circled to the back they encountered Riley who appeared to have put on full body armor including head and knee coverings and a bulletproof vestAuthorities exchanged heavy gunfire with dozens if not hundreds of rounds fired before Riley retreated back into the home according to the sheriffEverything fell silent Judd said until a helicopter unit alerted authorities on the ground that Riley was coming out He had been shot once and was ready to surrenderMeanwhile officers heard cries for help inside the home but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was boobytrapped A brave sergeant rushed in and grabbed the 11yearold girl who had been shot at least seven timesShe told deputies there were three dead people inside Judd said adding that she was rushed into surgery and was expected to surviveDeputies sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps When it was clear they found the bodies of Gleason the 33yearold mother the baby and the babys 62yearold grandmother who was in a separate home nearby Authorities released only Gleasons name and did not say if or how he was related to the other victimsAuthorities declined to say how many times the victims had been shot or where they were in the home but said they were all hiding and huddling in fear The family dog also was shot to deathAuthorities said Rileys girlfriend of four years whom he lived with had been cooperative and was shocked saying he was never violent but suffered from PTSD and had become increasingly erraticShe said hed spent the previous week on what he called a mission from God stockpiling supplies that he said were for Hurricane Ida victims including 1000 worth of cigarsldquoPrior to this morning this guy was a war hero He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraqrdquo said Judd ldquoAnd this morning hes a coldblooded killerrdquoRiley who had no criminal history also told authorities he was on methamphetamines His vehicle had also been stocked with supplies for a gunfight authorities said including bleeding control kitsWhile being treated at the hospital Riley jumped up and tried to grab an officers gunldquoThey had to fight with him again in the emergency roomrdquo Judd said adding that Riley was ultimately tied down and medicatedHe is expected to recover and will be transferred to jail to face chargesldquoThe big question that all of us has is Whyrdquo State Attorney Brian Haas said ldquoWe will not know today or maybe everrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability 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