SEBRING, Fla. — Five women were killed after a gunman entered a SunTrust bank in Sebring on Wednesday, January 23, and opened fire on four bank employees and one bank customer before calling 911 and telling dispatchers he killed five people, according to authorities.
Two of the five victims of the shooting were identified after their families told officials they want their names to be known to the public. Cynthia Watson, 65, a customer in the bank at the time of the shooting, and 55-year-old Marisol Lopez, an employee at the bank working when the shooting occurred, were the two victims identified by police during a press conference on Thursday.
At a news conference at 4 p.m. on Thursday, a third victim will be identified by family members. The third, fourth and fifth victims’ ages were 37, 31 and 54, according to Scott Dressel, the Public Information Officer for the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
WATCH LIVE: THIRD VICTIM IDENTIFIED BY FAMILY MEMBERS | 4PM News Conference
The remaining two victims’ names are being withheld in accordance to Marcy’s Law, which protects crime victims and their families.
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Officials held a news conference on Thursday to release new information about the shooting. During the news conference, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hogland said the incident began at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday when Zephen Xaver entered the SunTrust bank, located at 1901 US Highway 27 in Sebring, wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a 9 mm handgun. Xaver immediately contacted bank employees and a customer and took the bank by force. He reportedly shot all five women in the bank and then called 911 and told dispatchers about the shooting at approximately 12:36 p.m. At 12:40 p.m., units from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and Sebring Police arrived two minutes later. Crisis negotiators established contact with Xaver and at 12:44 p.m., SWAT was called to the scene. The Highlands County SWAT team made a tactical entry to the bank at 1:54 p.m. and Xaver was taken into custody at 2:28 p.m. after surrendering to the SWAT team.
Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said there is no indication Zephen Xaver intended to rob the bank and there was no apparent connection between him and the bank or the victims.
According to the arrest affidavit, the victims were found in the bank’s lobby, lying face down with gunshot wounds to the backs of their heads and upper torsos. There were shell casings lying on the floor near the victims. Xaver was in an office in the bank with the 9 mm handgun and bulletproof vest when he was taken into custody.
Xaver is currently in the Highlands County Jail, being held without bond on five counts of murder in the first degree.
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