A former marine who, reportedly, had suffered from PTSD shot and killed four people, including an infant, in Lakeland, Florida. The man conducted the murders while wearing full body armor.
Authorities identified the man as 33-year-old Brian Riley. Before he was arrested, the suspect engaged in a firefight with responding police. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley had surrendered to them after the firefight but continued to be resistant. Riley, reportedly, attempted to take a gun from one of the officers guarding him at a hospital.
Judd said Riley had shot and killed four people - a 40-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman, her 3-month-old baby, and a 62-year-old grandmother at a second house. Riley also shot the family's dog, Diogi, outside their home.
Authorities said Riley had also shot an 11-year-old girl multiple times. She was airlifted to a hospital in Tampa for emergency surgery. The girl is expected to recover.
Riley's girlfriend had told police that he had been diagnosed with PTSD. She also told police that Riley had been acting erratically over the past week and had told her that he had been receiving visions from God. She told police that she had never seen Riley act violently.
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
During an interview at the police station, Riley admitted to taking methamphetamines before the attack. He described himself as a "survivalist."
Authorities said Riley lived in Brandon, Florida, which is about 20 miles from where he shot and killed the four people. Investigators have yet to find any connection between Riley and the victims. Riley also didn't provide any explanation of why he chose the particular house and family to attack.
Before the shooting took place, a woman had called 911 after she talked to a man sitting inside a vehicle outside her house. The woman said the man told her that God had sent him to talk to her daughters. Police had responded to the call but did not find the suspect or his car.
About nine hours later, nearby police heard two volleys of gunfire. Reports of an active shooting then began coming in. When police had arrived on the scene, they saw a vehicle on fire and the man had thrown several glow sticks on the ground to form a path towards the house.
Riley had served in the Marines for four years before he was honorably discharged. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and in Afghanistan in 2010. He worked as a sharpshooter for the Marines.
