The accused gunman in a shooting at a central Florida bank “overtook the bank by force” before killing five women inside, police said Thursday. Authorities said Zephen Xaver opened fire inside a SunTrust Bank Wednesday in Sebring, nearly 100 miles south of Orlando.
Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund told reporters at a press conference that Xaver, 21, entered the bank with a gun at around 12:30 p.m. “He immediately contacted bank employees and a bank customer and overtook the bank by force,” Hoglund said. “He then shot everyone in the bank.”
Hoglund identified two of the victims, bank employee Marisol Lopez and customer Cynthia Watson. The chief didn’t identify the three other victims, saying their families didn’t want the information released.
Xaver was ordered held without bond Thursday morning on five counts of murder in the first degree. Hoglund said there was no known connection between Xaver and any of the victims.
“We believe that it is a random act,” Hoglund said. “We do not believe anybody was specifically targeted.”
The chief also said that police had no information to indicate that Xaver intended to rob the bank.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
