At Least Five Dead After Gunman Barricades Himself In Florida Bank, Authorities Say

At least five people are dead after a gunman opened fire Wednesday afternoon at a SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, authorities said. At about 12:30 p.m., a man contacted police to say he had fired shots inside the bank, according to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. When authorities arrived, they established a perimeter and attempted to negotiate with the gunman, the sheriff’s office said. “After negotiations to try to get the barricaded subject to exit the bank were not successful, the HCSO SWAT team entered the bank and continued the negotiations,” the sheriff’s office said. The suspect eventually surrendered, they added. “After an assessment of the scene, we were sorry to learn that we have at least five victims, people who were senselessly murdered as a result of his act in this bank,” Sebring police chief Karl Hoglund said at a news conference. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Zephen Xaver of Sebring, authorities said. At the news conference Wednesday afternoon, Hoglund said the victims’ families had not yet been notified.