ORLANDO, Fla. — An armored gunman killed four people — including an infant — in a neighborhood near Lakeland before shooting at law enforcement officers who responded to the scene early Sunday, according to the Polk County sheriff.
The man, who told deputies he was a “survivalist,” also shot an 11-year-old girl, who is currently in surgery at the hospital, Sheriff Grady Judd said. No officers were injured. The gunman, who was shot once, was also taken to the hospital, Judd said.
“He was ready for battle,” Judd said at a news conference.
Officials have not released the alleged gunman’s name. Judd said he was not from the area.
The sheriff said the incident began Saturday night when deputies received a call around 7:30 p.m. about a suspicious man in a vehicle near North Socrum Loop Road.
The caller said the man told her, “God sent me here to speak with one of your daughters.”
Deputies searched the area but did not find the man at that time. Nine hours later, around 4:30 a.m., a Polk County lieutenant who was nearby heard two volleys of automatic gunfire coming from the area of the original call, Judd said.
As deputies and officers from other law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, they began getting 911 calls reporting an active shooter.
When they got there, officers saw a truck on fire in the front yard and heard popping noises. Judd said a man was also outside wearing body armor and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest.
He ran back inside the house and deputies heard another volley of gunfire, a woman scream and a baby whimper, Judd said. Law enforcement officers tried to get into the home through the front door but it was barricaded, the sheriff said.
When a lieutenant went in through the back of the house, the man shot at him, Judd said. They exchanged gunfire before the lieutenant backed out of the house, Judd said.
Other units also shot at the gunman to help three deputies who were pinned down by gunfire, Judd said. The man eventually came out of the house with his hands up and surrendered, he said.
At the hospital, Judd said, the man tried to grab an officer’s gun while he was being treated, so he had to be tied down and medicated.
“They had to fight with him,” the sheriff said.
Inside one house on the property, authorities found a girl who had been shot multiple times but was still alive.
“She looked our deputies in the eye and said, ‘There’s three more dead people in the house,’” Judd said.
A man, a woman and an infant were discovered dead from gunshot wounds. At a second house on the property behind the first home, another woman was also found shot to death, Judd said.
The sheriff said the gunman told authorities he was taking methamphetamine. The man’s truck was loaded with supplies for a battle, including first-aid kits, which caused deputies to fear there were “booby traps” inside the home, Judd said.
“This is a horrific incident,” said Brian Haas, the state attorney for Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties, at the press conference. “Our community and many families are hurting this morning.”
