Five people dead in SunTrust Bank shooting in Florida

A gunman has killed five people at a bank in Florida, police say.

They say officers responded after a man called police from inside the SunTrust bank in the town of Sebring and said: “I have shot five people”.

The gunman – named as Zephen Xaver, 21 – had barricaded himself in the branch, forced people to lie on the floor and began shooting, according to police.

He surrendered after officers stormed the bank. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.

The incident took place just after 12:30 (17:30 GMT) at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, about 80 miles (130km) south of Orlando. Police say they were the only five people in the bank at the time.

“This horrific incident shocks and angers me more than anything I have encountered in my career,” said local sheriff Paul Blackman.

SunTrust CEO Bill Rogers said in a statement the company was “deeply saddened by the tragic shooting”.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the suspect is “an individual who needs to face very swift and exacting justice”.

Source: bbc.co.uk